


Teacher's Pet

by RegalChromaggia69



Series: Teacher's Pet [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-12
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2018-01-08 11:09:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 30
Words: 348,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1131933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalChromaggia69/pseuds/RegalChromaggia69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan is starting her senior year this year and she's got a pretty easy schedule. But as her friends tell her about the Creative Writing teacher and how no one has passed her class with an A, what will she do? And who exactly is this 'bitch' as they claim her to be? Swan Queen-Student/Teacher AU. M for language and eventual smut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I got this idea from Swan Queen AU week and after reading a few of the student/teacher fics, I decided to try it out myself. I hadn't gotten the time to review it, so please excuse any mistakes. 
> 
> Warning: Rated M for language and future chapters
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

It was that day of the year again. That day that marked the end of summer vacation as the school bells rang once again after three months of hibernation. It had been dreadfully hot this summer, leaving little days to be enjoyed. This day was no exception even though, as Emma Swan would have thought it to be, the end of summer. Really, though, summer wouldn't end for another month.

But still, this day would be the end of the late nights playing video games with her friend, Graham. The two wanted to spend as much time with each other over the summer, since he would be moving to Boston for college. It would also end the nights out with Ruby, and sometimes Belle, as they went about town, sneaking into various parties held by some of the recently graduated seniors. Her friend Ruby, being one of them, threw her own little party for herself and Graham.

The four friends had decided to keep cool and stay indoors for a majority of the summer. Hence was why they mostly engaged in said topics throughout their break.

Although, now, all of that was over. Emma couldn't sleep in until noon every day. Instead, she had to wake up in the early morning, a time she sometimes went to bed after playing a marathon of her favorite game with her buddies. The morning hour of seven o'clock caused the blonde teen to groan as she hit the dismiss button on her phone.

School. Emma took the liberty to dub Storybrooke High as Hell. Most of the students there were too chipper, nice, snobby, or rude. They were opposite Emma, who liked it quiet so she could read and do work in peace. She steered clear of them, usually, but in her classes, there was always at least one that would have to be sat next to her, and, that would ultimately ruin her entire year. Hopefully she'd be able to pick her seat in the upcoming classes. It was her senior year, after all. Perhaps they would oblige to her wishes. But, then again, teachers never really do.

Grudgingly, Emma dragged herself out of bed and picked out an outfit consisting of her usual black attire of jeans, a t-shirt, and an overlarge hoodie. It may have looked insane that she would wear such attire outside in this sweltering heat, but the school was like Antarctica inside. The idiots that run the school apparently had no idea how to control the temperature.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, she picked up her phone and checked if she had any messages. Ruby had promised to text her in the morning before her shift started at her grandmother's diner.

Despite graduating from high school, the brunette girl had decided to stay in Storybrooke to help her elderly grandmother with the diner. Of course, her granny had insisted that she hadn't needed the help, although the collapse in the storage room months prior had told otherwise.

Emma was glad that she wasn't leaving, although that may be selfish of her. She only had Belle to talk with in school now, and with Graham leaving, she had no one else outside of school to hang with. Hopefully one of the girls would be up to playing the new game system that she had gotten for her birthday over the summer as their male friend had.

Speaking of Ruby, a smile crossed over her face as she saw a text from said girl.

_Hey, Swan. Ready for a new day in Hell?_

She chuckled and shook her head, the Hell joke about school between the four never got old. As far as they knew, the principal was the devil and the teachers his little minions.

_Yeah. Right._

Emma hit send and set her phone down so she could quickly strip from her sleeping attire and don the casual clothing that she set out. Then her phone buzzed again, lighting up with a new message from Ruby.

The blonde teenager dropped onto her small, twin-sized bed with a pair of boots. Simultaneously checking the message and pulling her boots on, she read what her friend had replied.

_Good luck. Sorry I can't be there._

Emma smiled sadly and replied with an,  _it's okay, I'll survive._

There soon was a knock on the wall of Emma's bedroom, which had made the blonde look up. A woman with short, black hair stood in the doorway with a friendly smile on her face. The colors she wore were quite pastel and very conservative. The woman standing there was her mother, Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret Nolan, along with her husband David Nolan, had adopted Emma into their family just a year and a half ago. The young girl's parents had, what she assumed, abandoned her at an orphanage and left her to be tossed from family to family every time she did something that they didn't like. She had yet to do just that with the nice, young couple that had taken her in. Somewhere deep down, she knew that they wouldn't. The two wore fresh and loving smiles on their faces and they were all too eager to have her lodging in their small loft.

Emma was dubious about the two at first upon her arrival. The apartment was small and run down. It seemed to be on the ghetto side of Storybrooke. Or so she thought, at least. The town was pretty immaculate and quiet. Teenagers and drunks were the only problem that the sheriff's station had, because word travels fast and she was sure if something much larger and important were to happen, she would hear of it immediately. After all, her new father worked at the station as the sheriff.

Whatever judgements and accusations she had towards the Nolans, though, quickly vanished when they provided her with everything that they could afford, including her very own room equipped with an older laptop model. Emma hadn't minded at all, for it would be the very first of her own.

Emma and Mary Margaret had hit it off quite well and the blonde soon learned that she and David had been too busy to try for a baby at the moment. They wanted kids, but it was too hectic for them to care for a little one while also juggling with their jobs. They had heard about the foster care system and had become immediately interested in signing up to take in an older teen. Of course, the blonde, upon hearing this, was a bit angry that they were just using her as a filler for their own desire for children, but her resentment soon vanquished as the two grew on her. She was more than happy to oblige to whatever they tried to include her in. It had always been a losing fight to win over her previous foster parents' affection, especially the ones that only used her as a check for their own selfish desires.

Here, despite such a small age difference between them, Emma felt wanted for the first time since the very first family she was put into. They were concerned enough to ask her how her day was or what was wrong if she were to show any sign of distress. Although, the teen could admit that they could be quite smothering.

"Hey," the blonde greeted the woman in her doorway with a smile.

"Are you ready for your first day of senior year?" Mary Margaret asked, pushing herself from the door frame. "You look pretty."

Emma blushed slightly at her comment as a slender finger flicked a blonde curl from her face before cupping a cheek. "Thanks."

"I made breakfast. Might as well eat before we head off to school." She chuckled.

"I guess," Emma shrugged slightly and bent to grab her backpack that leaned against the bed. She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked behind her foster-mother.

"At least take a piece of toast before you leave." The brunette woman pleaded. She knew that Emma never really ate breakfast in the mornings. Her foster daughter usually liked to take the extra time to sleep and just dart out the door after getting ready.

"Fine." Emma playfully rolled her eyes. "For you."

"Thank you, Emma." Mary Margaret quickly wrapped her arms around Emma, leaving the teenager to stiffen momentarily before awkwardly hugging her back. "See you later, okay? Love you. Have a good day and tell me about your classes when you get home!"

"Love you, too and I will!" The blonde sheepishly replied, pulling away so she could jog down the stairs. Footsteps behind her told Emma that Mary Margaret was following on her trail towards the kitchen, probably to make sure that she would grab that toast.

After toasting up a piece of bread, Emma quickly left the apartment and started on her way to school. She preferred to walk, even though Mary Margaret had offered many times to drive her since the high school only a few blocks before the elementary school where she worked. Emma had politely declined until wintertime when the pixie-haired woman had insisted on taking her to school. The blonde teen reluctantly obliged, secretly glad that she had since it there were usually nasty storms during that time.

Often times she carpool with Ruby, but since her friend had graduated this year, she was out of luck. And now she really wished that Ruby was still attending school because it was hot as hell and she was already drowning in her own sweat. Slowly, she regretted ever putting on this damn hoodie.

After what seemed like an eternity in the grueling heat, Emma had finally arrived. Students were scattered through the halls, most standing and chatting with friends that they hadn't seen over the summer. The myriad of voices in the air very nearly gave Emma a headache. There was always a reason why she hated school. It wasn't so much for the courses, no, but the students instead.

She made haste to get away from the crowd, maneuvering every which was so she could get through and find her home room. She surely hoped not many people would be in there right away. Silence already seemed so nice. With that on the brain, she continued to push through the people stuffed in the main hallway, but not before she had run right into another body. Or so to say, they ran into her.

"Watch it," a voice warned, but then stopped as eyes met her own. "Swan."

"Killian." Emma gritted through her teeth, forcing a smile on her lips.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"It's school. Of course I'm here." She rolled her eyes.

Killian had always been on her trail like a damned lost puppy ever since her arrival to Storybrooke high. She knew the boy had an infatuation with her, for if his constant following her around was not evidence enough, he shamelessly flirted with her. She told him several times that she was not interested, but all he kept saying was that she would change her mind eventually. But little did he know that, that would never come true. She just wasn't interested in any man, but of course, she wouldn't say anything. Why not have a little fun in teasing him?  
"Where are you headed?"

"Homeroom."

"Oh? Ms. Nova isn't in there."

Emma rolled her eyes. Did she mention that he even had his home room changed so he could be in it with her?

"She usually has her door unlocked."

"It's locked."

"Where's your shit?" The blonde quirked a brow, finally looking over the boy in front of her. He had nothing on him. Not even a pencil.

"Uh…"

"Yeah. Move. I wanna get my schedule." She pushed passed him, hoisting her backpack further on her shoulder as it began to slip again.

"Yeah! I wonder if we have any classes together." His brows waggled as he caught up with her.

Emma looked at him and rolled her eyes again. "Knowing you, probably. You stole my schedule before the break."

"Pft." Killian smirked and followed her into Ms. Nova's classroom.

"Emma Nolan!" A light and cheery voice greeted the blonde as soon as she dropped her bag by the desk she usually took towards the back of the room. Her head raised to see Ms. Nova step towards her with a piece of paper in hand.

"It's Swan," she corrected.

"Right. I'm sorry. I was just reading the name on the schedule." she smiled apologetically, handing the paper over to Emma. "Are you excited for senior year?"

"As excited as I'll ever be." She drawled in response, her eyes glued to the paper. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"What do you have first period?" Killian's voice immediately broke the momentary silence as Ms. Nova walked away and Emma's eyes roved over the paper in her hand.

"First period I have composition." She said, looking up at his crestfallen face. "What? Don't have it?"

"No. I took comp last year." A small pout formed on his lips. "What else do you have?"

"I have algebra two-"

"I have that, too! Second?"

"Yeah…" Emma glared at him before continuing. "Then I have gym. And after that creative writing, open lunch, my government class, and finally some art class that Belle's taking."

"What?" Killian looked at her with wide eyes. "All I have is gym and creative writing. When do you have them? Who do you have?"

"Stop asking all these questions! You're giving me a headache." Emma grumbled, looking at the paper for names. "I have Mr. Hurst for gym and Mrs… Mills?"

"Oh. You got Ms. Mills." His eyes looked sympathetic as he looked at her.

"Why, because you don't?" she teased.

"No. Because she's a bitch and she grades like one, too."

"How do you know?"

"I had her for English." he visibly grimaced. "I barely passed that class, and you know how good I am at writing. She hates everyone and no one's work is good enough. Rumor has it, no one had ever gotten anything higher than a B in her class before. And the people who got a B were the smart ones."

"Shit, really?" Emma narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "Mary Margaret had promised me her old car by the end of the year if I got straight A's."

"You're fucked out of a car, then."

"I'm gonna ask Belle. She had her… I think. Well, she took a lot of English classes." Emma rubbed the bridge of her nose and slumped into the desk, head buried into her arms. "I thought this year was going to be easy."

"Emma?" A soft voice reached the blonde's ears. It held a familiar accent that immediately made the teenager jump up from her seat and grab the source of disturbance.

"Belle!"  
"Yes? Emma, what is it?" she looked at her worried, eyes big.

"Have you had that... Mrs. Mills?"

"Ms. Mills? Yeah. She's pretty tough on grades." Belle tilted her head.

"You're a brainiac. What did you get? Numb nuts over here says no one has ever gotten an A in her class."

The brunette bit her lip and looked down. "I had all straight A's except for that class. No matter how much effort I put into my papers, she always seemed to give me low grades. I never understood why."

"Holy shit. I'm fucked." Emma slumped back down into her desk.

"You got her?"

"Yeah. For creative writing."

"Don't worry, Em. You're a brilliant writer." Belle reassured with a frowned, sitting in the desk next to her. A hand rubbed the blonde's back. "You'll do good."

"I'm not as good as you and I need all A's. I wanna get the hell out of Dodge in my own ride by the end of the year." Emma whined, thumping her head on the desk several times.

"She's losing it, Belle. Do something."

"Emma, please… Don't stress. You have a better imagination than I. Remember? I'm the bookworm." she smiled dubiously.

Belle had always been the more quiet one of the group, just tagging along because she felt she had to. Emma suspected that she did quite enjoy the loud parties that they went to most of the time despite the way she says she'd rather be home reading a book. She usually teased Belle about being a bookworm or a nerd because every time that Emma turned around, the brunette was doing some kind of homework or reading some kind of material. Even though she teased, Emma had to admit she admired Belle's much more calmer side when away from Ruby. She was the friend one would go to just to talk about each other's day over coffee and cocoa or read in comfortable silence.

Also, Belle said her writing rocked. Which, of course, was something coming from a girl who read so many literature pieces that would make Emma's head explode. She usually tried to take her word for it, and right now she wished her brain would accept the kind words and ease the anxiety building in the pit of her stomach.

"If you say so…" she groaned softly and sighed.

"And think of it this way Em, if you don't like the class, you could always change your schedule." The brunette looked at her with kind eyes.

"You're right. I can. I probably will." Emma nodded upon a sigh, fingers tangling through her own blonde curls. "Thanks. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Probably get a concussion." Belle joked.

"Yeah, well." Emma chuckled and looked over to the clock, noticing it to be four minutes until the bell would ring. "You should probably go before you're late to home room."

"Right." Belle nodded and hugged Emma quickly before standing. "See you in gov. Tell me how it goes with the hardass."

Emma laughed and nodded at the word that Belle had said, knowing the brunette rarely ever cursed. "Yeah. Thanks. Good luck with your other classes."

* * *

Emma both hated and enjoyed the first day of school and that was pretty self explanatory. The worst part of the day would be the amount of people trying to find their classrooms. They had a tendency to stop in front of her in the hallways, only to turn around, or cut across. And she hated the freshmen, God did she hate them. They were the worst and that was only because they were most of the population that stopped and turned every which way in front of her. Sometimes they apologized excessively, but those were usually the more meek ones.

Now, for Emma, none of that was a problem. Her first three periods were quite easy to find, considering that she had had the teachers the previous year. Upon further inspection, the only new teachers that she would be having were Mrs. Mills and the new art teacher, Ms. Boyd. Emma had, plenty of times, been to the art room so she was quite certain where that was. As for creative writing, she wasn't quite sure, but she would cross that bridge when she got there.

First period was a drag. They went over the syllabus for the class with Mr. Booth, who she had the previous year for English, who then introduced himself with the same information she had already learned. They then proceeded with a self-introductory worksheet before introducing themselves to the class fully. It was more of a "turn to the person sitting next to you, share your name and a fact, then re-introduce them to the class." God how Emma hated doing that. And how she hated that Killian just had to be seated next to her. So, of course, she grudgingly shared a fact that she thought he was stupid and, naturally, he told the class she had a huge crush on him. Luckily, everyone passed it off for a joke as she rolled her eyes with rose-tinted cheeks. Damn bastard. He must have lied about not having comp just to spite her and that just made her hate him even more.

Second period was much like first. More self-introductory routines. More classroom rules and going over the syllabus. This time Killian was placed a few rows away from her. She smirked as he had noticed that on the seating chart shown on the front board. Good. Emma didn't need to sit next to him for another hour. One was enough. Mr. Spencer had given them a review quiz from what they had learned last year which coincidentally took up the last half hour of class and they were soon able to leave.

Third period rolled around and Emma could feel her stomach knotting up. Next period was creative writing. She knew she had nothing to worry about just yet, considering it was the first day and she was quite sure that the teacher would end up forcing them to, yet again, introduce themselves. She would probably yap about herself for the rest of the period. But that wasn't until an hour away. Right now was gym class and she was forced to sit on the bleachers in the only gym this school seemed to deem fit for the class, even though it seemed to be falling apart. Why hadn't they just used the newer gym? Idiots.

Mr. Hurst had spent the better half of the class talking about what they would be doing and the guidelines they had to follow. Eventually it shifted towards the required push-up and sit-up tests as well as the pacer that anyone and everyone who took gym was required to do. Personally, Emma thought it was stupid and wished they would get straight to running outside around the track. Running always cleared her head which was why she usually took classes that usually revolved around cardio fitness and aerobics.

She had eventually zoned out from the man's droning voice as her green eyes searched the gym. Across from them was a second class. She wasn't sure which one it was, but Killian was in there, and currently he was making googly eyes at her. She scowled and averted her gaze to look at the clock. Ten minutes left. It felt like butterflies were making a windstorm in her stomach. It kept turning and turning and she felt as if she were going to be sick.

She had no reason to feel sick. They were just rumors. Even people like Belle can get a B from time to time. What did this woman even look like, anyways? The paper said Mrs., so Emma was assuming she was older. That would probably explain why she was so harsh on grading. Great.  _An old bat that'll probably hate me,_  she thought.

Then it happened. The bell rang and Emma's heart sank. She got up from the bleachers and made her way towards the door, ignoring the way Killian was calling her name. Emma hastily made her way to the door, only to be blocked by the large number of idiots trying to exit at the same time. She stopped and huffed, giving in as she turned to the boy behind her.

"Hey," he said.  
"What?"

"What do you have next?"

"Creative writing. You know this."

"Oh, shit. Yeah." He bit his lower lip for a moment and smirked. "Good luck."

"Yeah…" Emma rolled her eyes once again and left for the exit as soon as it had cleared up. Then she was virtually shuffling as slowly as possible to her next class. She was so unsure of it now. Both of them seemed to sympathize her about having Mrs. Mills as a teacher and it wasn't something to celebrate. She almost contemplated skipping, but that would be pointless. At least she would give this teacher, this class, a chance. If she didn't like it by the end of the day, she would change up her schedule.

Emma turned down the English hallway, schedule in hand as she gazed the classroom numbers. Her eyes landed on the one that matched the numbers on the paper. Exhaling slowly, she entered the classroom to find it halfway full. There weren't many people here so far. It made her wonder exactly how many people didn't want to be in this woman's class.

Taking her lower lip between her teeth, she sought out a seat in the back of the class. She figured that they were able to choose their own seats, seeing as to how there was no chart around. She didn't mind. That meant she could keep away from most people. She enjoyed the freedom of the last seat in a row. It made her feel more isolated, even though there was still a whole class of people in front of her.

Emma glanced up towards the clock and noticed that there was still about two minutes of passing period time. She must have gotten here faster than she thought if she had that much time left. Shrugging mentally, she gazed around the room in hopes to find out more about the infamous teacher. There were no personal pictures. No indicators of anything that would show personality. Just the usual boring classroom with encouraging posters about English and writing. Her eyes focused on the front wall. It looked like two white boards with one of the smartboards nestled between them. On on of the white boards was written in cursive _Miss Mills._

Funny, Emma thought. On her schedule it said she was a Mrs. Or so she thought. She looked down to the schedule once again and finally noticed that most of the names actually had Mrs. in front of it. She blinked. Weird.

Must have been a printing error or something. So perhaps it won't be an old biddy that would enter the classroom. Come to think of it, Emma hadn't really seen many elderly teachers around. Only one or two upstairs and her math teacher down here.

And then she entered the room, which was now mostly filled up with students who had been talking about their classes so far. But Emma hadn't paid any attention to them. Her eyes were locked on the woman with dark brown hair that barely just reached her shoulders, large, brown eyes that Emma swore she could melt upon seeing them, and plump lips painted a deep shade of crimson. Emma could cry. That pantsuit outfit she wore was just all kinds of tight and generous with a few buttons on her red, silk blouse unbuttoned and that jet black jacket matched perfectly with the slacks, which left enough view of the high heels she wore.

Mouth dry, Emma just couldn't take her eyes away from this gorgeous woman. Surely the olive toned beauty couldn't be the bitch teacher? No way. She was… She was so…  _hot_. That couldn't be her. She looked so young. Maybe her friends made a mistake. Maybe they were thinking of another Mills in this school. It couldn't be her.

God, no. Not with that ass. Emma's forest green eyes stuck like glue to her teacher's posterior as she turned to fiddle with the smartboard. Those slacks did her much justice, hugging the curve of her ass which left little to the imagination. Suddenly, the blonde was thinking about how Ms. Mills would look without those pants on and what kind of undergarments she wore. Granny panties? Silk? Satin? Lace? Thong? And… oh, God. What if she wore nothing?

_Bleeeeeeeeeep!_

Then the bell rang, nearly causing Emma to fall out of her seat as she jumped. All naughty thoughts about her teacher immediately dissipating. Then she noticed that Ms. Mills had an eyebrow quirked as she stared at the blonde.

"Sorry…" she said sheepishly, shrinking in her seat with burning cheeks. Everyone was looking at her now.

"I certainly do hope that you won't be spacing off during my class." Ms. Mills spoke and oh God, that did funny things to Emma's insides. Her voice was as sexy and seductive as her body. It was deep and husky in all the good ways. How was she ever going to survive this class?

"I-I won't…" Emma wanted to slap herself.

"Good. Tell me your name." She looked down to the list in front of her, or so Emma assumed since she couldn't see the podium.

"Emma. Emma Swan- I mean, Nolan." The blonde bit the inside of her cheek, reprimanding herself for using Swan. She was too used to using that last name. It was the name of the first family she moved in with. They were so kind to her, that was, until they got pregnant and sent her back. But she enjoyed her time with them and using the last name that they had given her would be a reminder to herself. Of course, she loved the Nolans dearly, but she much preferred using Swan, and since no other family ever bothered to care about her last name until now, they obliged, only wanting her to be happy.

Ms. Mills quirked one of those damn perfectly manicured eyebrows once again at the slip before the chocolate brown orbs roved over the paper. "Thank you, Ms. Nolan."

"Swan. Please, call me Swan, not Nolan." Emma braved.

"Alright, Ms. Swan." The blonde swore she could see a twitch on Ms. Mills' face as if she were trying to hide her amusement. God, she only knew this woman for less than ten minutes and she was already obsessed.

Shit.

After Ms. Mills had taken attendance, she pushed the podium aside and clicked a button on the remote she held for the electronic board.

"As you all may know, I am Regina Mills, but please do call me Ms. Mills. I teach both English and creative writing here at the school." She offered the class a smile, which seemed a little too forced, but Emma brushed that off and continued to stare at the way her mouth moved with every vowel.

"Of course, as you know, you are in creative writing. I'm sure you're all well aware that it is not a required course and if you cannot handle the fact that I do take my classes seriously and this will not just be an easy A for you because you are so well inclined to write words on paper, you may talk with your counselor and change your schedule. I will not tolerate freeloaders and I do not give out extra credit. You must take this course seriously as you would with your writing." The teacher had paced across the room now, then turned to face the students once again. "I'm quite sure that you may have heard from fellow students that had previously taken my course that it's hard. Truly, it is not. All I ask of you is to use your imagination to your full capacity. I am fickle about proper grammar and sentence structure, so please do review your work. If you do not, it will only hurt your grade."

Emma was starting to space out again as the woman spoke about the class and what is to be expected. The yellow paper passed out was the syllabus that had most of the same requirements and criteria that every other class had. Hearing about this for the fourth time in one day was tiring and Emma found herself staring at Regina's moving mouth. After spending so much time there, she noticed a few things like Ms. Mills had a scar on her upper right lip or that she licked those red lips every few sentences.

It wasn't until Emma was handed another paper that she had snapped out of her trance and decided that it was time to pay attention again. She grabbed the white piece of parchment and read over the black print.

"I would like your first assignment to be a short one to two page summary of your summer. Do feel inclined to write some information about yourself in it as well. I would like to learn more about you."

A student raised their hand. "Is this graded?"

"No, it's not. This is a test so I know where you're at with your writing and creative skills." Then she was walking towards Emma, and oh God, the blonde thought she got caught spacing off again. But then Regina moved right past her to the teacher's desk in the corner of the room, which had coincidentally been right next to the blonde's.

Shit.

Emma had thoughtlessly taken the desk next to the teacher's because she wanted to figure out who the hell was going to be teaching her. She held in a breath, then exhaled, looking at Ms. Mills in the corner of her eye.

The brunette teacher had taken an apple out of her desk, a perfect, deep red. Just like her lips. Then she had taken out a small container that Emma could only guess was her lunch. After all, next period was her own, and the only lunch periods were fourth and fifth.

_Oh._

She smirked to herself, eyes roaming over the piece of paper in her hand. It was open lunch and she was free to do what she wished. Perhaps she could stay behind some days and work. Of course, that was if Ms. Mills would allow her. She didn't know much about her yet, but she certainly hoped she wasn't too strict.

Sighing to herself, Emma gazed up at the clock once again. There was about twenty minutes left of class. She really didn't want to have to write at the moment, so instead, she lightly tapped her pencil on the surface of her desk.

"Emma," the sound of her name was an annoyed whisper. The blonde looked up to see Ms. Mills staring at her pencil, then those muddy eyes raised to her face, which ultimately caused her to drop the utensil.

"Sorry."

"Get to work."

Emma bowed her head and stared at the prompt in front of her. And stared. She stared so hard, she was sure it would burst into flame.

Then she heard a sigh behind her, but this time she didn't look up, she bent down and shuffled through her bag until she pulled out a clean notebook and opened it. Immediately, she got to writing about the beginning of her summer, only to pause mid-paragraph for a chanced glance at her teacher.

And her pencil dropped onto the paper.

_Hot damn._

She put on glasses.

Regina Mills was wearing glasses and that was the hottest thing. She didn't think the brunette could get anymore attractive, but the way she pulled her plump, lower lip into her mouth as she read a paper in front of her just caused Emma's heart to flutter.

Then brown eyes met green.

And that damned eyebrow quirked.

The blonde immediately looked back to her paper, picked up her pencil, and resumed writing. And, oh God, she swore she could feel Regina  _smirking_  behind her. But she didn't dare look as she scribbled on the paper as fast as her hand could manage. It wasn't long until the bell had sounded, announcing that class was over.

Emma didn't move.

She continued to sit there as every other student filed out of the room, seemingly as quickly as they could, dropping their finished assignments on the podium. They probably wanted to get to lunch. Emma didn't mind. She had no where to go and school lunch didn't sound appetizing.

There was a popping sound as a lid separated from its container. She lifted her gaze to furtively watch as Ms. Mills began to prepare her lunch. Apparently she ate in her room. Interesting.

The brunette teacher didn't seem to take any action towards Emma's presence. The blonde didn't make any plan to move, either, for she continued to scribble onto the paper about her summer.

"Are you going to leave any time soon, Ms. Swan?" That husky voice finally spoke of Emma's presence and she shivered.

"I was just going to finish my paper," she quickly explained.

"You seem to make yourself known." Her voice was almost a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Emma stopped and dropped her pencil to look at the teacher, who had now been chewing something.

After a few moments, she answered, "First off, you nearly jump out of your seat at the beginning of class like a cat in a thunderstorm." her brow quirked. "And don't think I hadn't noticed you staring at me for most of the period. You would have had that assignment finished like the rest of your classmates if you hadn't been doing just that."

Emma blushed slightly and looked down at her paper for a moment.

"And now you bring it upon yourself to stay in class during my lunch hour and finish work that could very well have been done in class. I must say, Emma, my first impression of you is not the best." Regina stabbed a piece of what appeared to be lettuce and brought the fork out of the container. "If you continue to make a habit out of this, let me tell you, this semester will be a long one."

"I'm sorry." she mumbled softly, feeling her heart weigh heavy in her chest. "Look, I'll get this done and be out of your hair."

"Do you need a pass after you are finished?" She asked, taking out a small pad of pass-papers.

Emma shook her head, pencil tapping on the paper once again. "I have open lunch."

"I see," Ms. Mills put the pad back and delicately wrapped her lips around the fork, pulling it away as she chewed the leaf.

The sight had Emma almost crying for mercy. What the hell was with her? This was her damn teacher. She supposed it wasn't exactly illegal to feel attracted to your teacher. Students are always crushing after their professors. It's not like they had a chance, anyways. It's not like she had the chance.

Oh, god, there were so many reasons why she didn't have a chance. That woman could be dating someone. She didn't have any rings on, so Emma assumed she wasn't engaged or married. And even if she were single, Emma had little to no chance. First of all, she was sure Ms. Mills was one-hundred percent straight, and second, she would never go for someone her age. Illogical.

"You're staring again, Ms. Swan. Must I get you a laser pointer to divide your attention elsewhere? Whatever has you so fascinated, you must concentrate it onto your paper." she quirked a brow at a blushing Emma, who had been rather embarrassed that she had gotten caught once again.

"Sorry…" she mumbled and turned to complete the paper. About ten minutes later, she was finished with the assignment, and Ms. Mills appeared to be done with her lunch. Emma stood and handed over the paper, which had become longer than she had anticipated.

"Thank you. Enjoy your lunch." Regina offered her a soft smile as she took the notebook and sat it in front of herself. Soon, those glasses were back in place as she began to read the words on the paper.

"Thanks. You too, and sorry again for ruining your lunch." Emma sighed softly and gathered her belongings before rushing out of the room, completely oblivious to the reply of "you didn't ruin my lunch" behind her.

* * *

"So, I see you survived her class." Belle chuckled, bumping her arm playfully against Emma's as the blonde arrived into the government classroom and took the seat next to her best friend.

"Yeah. It wasn't so bad." Emma shrugged. "I thought she was gonna be old or something."

"No, she isn't. Well, she is. She's like… almost forty. She told us when I was in her class."

"Fuck," Emma blinked and stared at Belle with incredulous eyes. "I thought she was like… twenty five or something."

"Try thirty seven."

"Shit," the blonde muttered. Regina was twenty years older than her. There was definitely a clusterfuck of emotions going through her mind right now, and not one of them was good at the moment.

"What's wrong?" Belle blinked, completely oblivious.

Emma turned to her friend, mouth slightly gaped open.

"Emma?"

"She's…" she dramatically twitched her eyes and dropped her head onto her desk.

The brunette next to her could only frown and sympathize, patting her back. "Hey, what's wrong, hon?"

"She's so  _hot._ " Emma whimpered sadly. "I mean… fuck. I couldn't stop staring at her and she… she  _knew_."

"What?" Belle blinked, then burst out laughing. She laughed. She had the audacity to  _laugh_.

"What?!" Emma threw her hands up, the pout on her lips only forcing Belle to laugh violently.

It was no secret to Belle or Ruby that Emma was actually into girls. They supported her and she promised to never make a move on them. They only laughed and joked that they probably weren't her type anyways. She loved them dearly for understanding, unlike many of the friends she had in her past life.

"If I would have known the type you went for was the whole regal and bitchy latina, I would have told you that you'd like her." Belle snorted a laugh through her nose, trying to calm down. Their teacher, Mr. Glass, had shot them several warning glances.

"I don't think my type is exactly _that_. I mean… I like the brown hair and eyes… and, shit, she can really pull off that power suit."

"Wait until she wears the pencil skirt." The moment the words were out of her mouth, Belle looked as if she were going to hit herself.

"Wait. She wears… Oh god. And the glasses. And… She will be the end of me, Belle. How am I going to survive this year?"

"I don't know, Em. You're out of luck." She chuckled once again.

"She's twenty years older than me." Emma finally realized once again, a blank look on her face.

"So you like older women. What's the deal?" Her friend shrugged nonchalantly.

"I guess… nothing. Not like anything's gonna happen anyways." Emma sighed softly and played with one of her blonde curls. "Damn."

"You must really like her. I mean, holy crap, Em. You've known her for an hour and you've spend an hour talking about her." Belle blinked, completely astonished by her friend's reaction.

"It's probably just a small crush. It'll end soon."

"I guess we'll see." Belle shrugged and stood from her desk. The rest of the class had done the same and headed for the door.

"Class is over?"

"I told you that you had been talking about her for the past hour." The brunette chuckled. "Come on, we need to get to art class."

* * *

After art class had ended, Emma and Belle had left school to head towards Ruby's grandmother's diner, Granny's. They decided to drop by for a visit with their other best friend to see how she was doing and tell her about their day. Both girls knew she'd have a laugh and say sorry for your time in Hell, but one year left, and you'll be living the freelife like me. Well, that was something she had said at the end of last year after her graduation.

Opening the door, Emma entered Granny's and smiled over to Ruby who had been behind the counter looking bored. The cafe was empty for the most part except for a few students here and there, enjoying an after school snack.

"Hey, yo, my peeps!" Ruby chuckled and waved the two teens over to the counter. "What do you want?"

"What I usually get." Emma shrugged indifferently as Belle nodded, repeating the same.

"Alright. We need an iced tea and a hot cocoa with cinnamon."

Writing down the order, Ruby headed off to gather the drinks. Soon enough she returned with the order, placing each drink in front of their respective owner. The lanky brunette leaned against the counter, dark lids batting.

"So, tell me, how was first day of senior year?"  
"Shitty," Emma mumbled, sipping from her cocoa.

"Emma's got a crush!" Belle squealed immediately, unable to contain her excitement as she bounced on the stool.

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the blonde who had now tried to hide her blush with golden locks.

"Em?"

"Goddammit, Belle. Why can't you keep your damn mouth shut?" she pouted slightly.

"Who is she, Em?" The waitress smirked and eyed Belle, knowing she would spill the beans.

Belle smirked and poked Emma's arm, who merely grumbled a profanity, before speaking.  
"It's Ms. Mills."

"You mean the hot bitch that teaches English?" Ruby's eyes widened with surprise. "I didn't know you went for that type, Em."

"Shut up." Emma growled, glaring over at Belle.

"She said she couldn't stop staring at her butt." The younger brunette smirked, waggling her brows. "Emma talked about her all during Gov."

"Shut. Up." The blush on the blonde's cheeks only darkened as Belle spoke. "Just shuttup!"

"No! I wanna hear more about this crush on old hardass." Ruby bit her red lip.

"She's not old!" Emma defended, which only caused her cheeks to burn darker.

That caused both of her friends to quirk a brow. "Defensive much, Em?"

"Shut up!" She whined and got up from her spot, downing the rest of her hot cocoa before slapping some money onto the counter and leaving.

"I think we went too far." she heard Belle say to Ruby who only laughed.

"Nah, she's just embarrassed."

Emma ignored Belle's apology and Ruby's laughing as she power walked herself home. She knew she should have never said anything to Belle about her little staring contest with Ms. Mills' ass. She knew she should have just kept her lips sealed. Goddammit, now they're going to tease her about it. Hopefully whatever this little crush is will go away soon. It was just lust after all. Nothing more than desire that she usually felt for most women she found attractive. Little did she know, she would be dead wrong in the weeks to come.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret stopped the blonde teen in her tracks as she entered the apartment. "There you are! I was worried. I thought you would come home right after school."

"I'm sorry, Mary Margaret. I stopped to see Ruby." she bit her lip. "I'll text you if I do it again. I just wanted to tell her about my first day. She wanted to know."

"Oh. It's fine, honey. As long as you're okay." The small brunette smiled and wrapped her arms around Emma for a moment. "How was your first day?"

"It wasn't too bad." Emma shrugged, avoiding any possible conversation about her creative writing class.

"Oh?"

Emma nodded and followed her foster-mother to the kitchen. She sat by the counter on the stool and told her about her day starting with first period and Killian being annoying to art class where she was able to have class with Belle and playfully doodle random things to each other during the teacher's introduction. This earned a disapproving look, but upon seeing some of the silly pictures on the paper, she chuckled.


	2. Second Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: First of all, I would like to thank you for all of the positive feedback! It just made me smile that you actually liked my story. :) I certainly hope that I can live up to your expectations with the chapters to come. Second, I've read a few comments about the age of Regina in this story. Personally, I like the larger age difference and I hoped to address it further on in conversation between the two. But you shall see. :)
> 
> (I also threw in a little something about Regina's dislike of Snow in there, even though it's not direct in the story since they don't know each other. ;))

"Why the hell are you in here, anyways? I thought you said you didn't have comp." Emma was lounging in the desk to her first period class on the second day of school. She had the honor of sitting next to Killian's non-stop babbling about his day yesterday, acting as if Emma actually cared about that. Finally fed up, she interrupted him with the question she had yesterday after realizing that he, too, had composition with her.

The brunette looked at her, a bushy eyebrow quirked. "Haven't you figured it out? I lied."

"Big surprise." Emma muttered under her breath, playing with one of her mechanical pencils. Currently, they were listening to Mr. Booth continue with the classroom rules. Of course, most of the class had taken to do their own thing as his voice seemed to drone on about not having your cell phones out during class and  _blah blah blah_ …

Emma was nearly falling asleep by then, finding her eyes drooping closed every so often. It was quite the struggle to stay awake, and goddamn, she hoped that she could. Curse her for staying up too late last night, but for the life of her, she just couldn't fall asleep. This day was going to be a long one.

"Em." The voice made the blonde jump slightly in her seat, then shoot daggers at the source.

"What?" she snapped, trying so hard to ignore the chuckle coming from that arrogant ass and to keep herself from kicking said ass in the nuts.

Killian smirked. "How did it go with…  _her_?"

" _Her_?" Emma repeated with confusion until it hit her. He was talking about her fourth period class. And the woman who taught it.

"Oh. Uh, not too bad. I bet she hates me." The blonde shrugged nonchalantly and made chicken scratches with her pencil on the classroom rules paper, praying that he wouldn't pry too much and make her blurt out her stupid little crush.

"What'd you do?" He quirked a brow at her. "Day number one: Piss off the bear. Not a good idea."

"Pretty much. I'm a nuisance and I was also caught staring."

Killian smirked. "You too, huh?"

Emma looked at him, nearly having forgotten that he had taken a class with Ms. Mills before. It wasn't a surprise to her that he probably had been staring at the brunette teacher as well. And for some reason, something just bristled inside of her. She didn't want  _anyone_  else looking at the English teacher like that.

"What do you mean?" she grit the words between her teeth.

"I couldn't believe it, either." He explained. "When everyone said she was a bitch, I assumed she was ugly and old or something. Usually those teachers are, but fuck… She's young and  _hot_."

"Yeah, thanks for warning me. Both you and Belle seemed to have left that little detail out. I was worried that she was one of those teachers that hated a student instantly without a reason."

"At least you don't have to worry about her hating you for no reason." The boy shrugged and smirked. "She gave me detention before and there was a reason."

"... why?" Emma was scared to ask. She was quite certain of what he did, upon the new revelations. Killian and his incapability to control the dangly parts attached to him.

"I touched the butt."

And Emma nearly launched herself from her desk to strangle that boy sitting next to her. It took every fiber of her being to keep her muscles still. "You...sexually harassed your teacher?" she growled softly, trying to keep herself as calm as possible.

"Have you seen her ass?"

"You're a pervert." Emma rolled her eyes and leaned back against her chair. "A fucking horny perv."

He smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Isn't someone jealous?"

Then Emma nearly had a heart palpitation. She was sure she would pop a hernia right there from his words. Did he know? Fuck. Shitshitshitshitshit…

"Don't worry, there's enough Killian Jones to go around."

She sighed in relief. He was talking about himself. But what he had said made her glare at him, wishing his skin would burn underneath the heated stare. "You wish."

He opened his mouth to speak, but the bell interrupted him and Emma stood up to follow the rest of the class out the door. Thank God he didn't sit next to her in Mr. Spencer's class, or she'd have to hear  _another_  speech about how he'd be  _oh so_  good to and for her. It was sickening that he was wasting his time on her. She just wished he would move on. She was a lost cause and, even though he wasn't  _exactly_  her friend, she did feel sorry for him because of that.

* * *

"I've read your assignments from yesterday and I must admit that I am impressed with what I saw." Ms. Mills smiled towards the class as she walked around the room with a stack of papers in her arms. "I've taken the liberty to make a note on each. You may take a few minutes to look them over before I pick them up."

She began to pass the papers back out to their owners, the tight pencil skirt that she wore today tightened around her buttox every time she moved or bent over. Emma only knew this because she had been staring the entire time. It seemed as if her eyes were permanently glued to such forbidden territory and she certainly did hope that Ms. Mills won't soon find out where her eyes usually are upon a turned back.

Quickly averting her gaze before the teacher could catch her staring, she took the time to drink up the classroom again. There were more open seats today for it appeared that the number of students had decreased. Perhaps they got scared about Ms. Mills' warning yesterday and decided to take her advice and visit with the counselor. Such a shame, Emma thought, they were missing out.

"Emma," she heard her name used by that seductive voice of Regina's and looked up to see a notebook being handed to her. She forgot about not ripping the pages out before she left.

In her embarrassment, she grinned sheepishly and took it, opening the cover so she could look at the first page. Just her words were written on it. It wasn't until the final page that she saw red ink formed into cursive writing in the empty space below the finale of her words. She read them carefully, smiling to herself.

_"Despite your affinity to be known and somewhat disruptive, I found your skill to be surprisingly impressive. I would honestly have to say you are one of the best young writers that I have had the honor to read. Please, do keep up the good work and try your best. I see that you have a creative imagination. Use it wisely."_

Emma read through the small brick of words again, her eyes catching a small bit of writing at the bottom in pencil. It was still the same cursive as the red writing. She wondered why the hell it had changed. With a shrug, she read the words, nearly chuckling aloud.

_"P.S. I especially enjoyed the part where you nearly lit your foster-mother's pants on fire with a bottle rocket."_

She's pretty damn sadistic. Emma mentally giggled to herself at that thought. She wasn't entirely sure, but a girl could dream. When the blonde gazed up to see if anyone else was done, she noticed Ms. Mills standing at the front of the room with her eyes locked on Emma. A shiver eased its way down her spine as they came into eye contact. The blonde could only offer a sheepish smile, unsure of how else to get out of that without squirming to the floor out of her seat. That offered a small tug of the brunette teacher's lips before she stepped forward.

"Alright, I'll pick them up and we'll begin with today's lesson."

Emma sat through the rest of the class period, her mind on that note in her paper. She knew it was just a thing that teachers did. She didn't take it personally like she was more special than anyone else or anything, but goddamn, it sure felt like it. That totally raised her self-esteem and now she felt more confident than ever that she was going to pass this class with flying colors.

* * *

"She wrote a love note to you on your assignment?" Ruby laughed over the phone as Emma kicked her boots off.

It was the end of the day and Emma had decided to head straight home instead of worrying Mary Margaret again. She forgot her phone at the apartment and didn't want to make the poor brunette fret for her.

Again, though, she had made the mistake of talking to Belle about the note left on her paper from Ms. Mills. She should have known better that that damn bookworm would go and blab to Ruby, because it wasn't ten minutes after she got home and texted Ruby that she called instead of replying.

"I take it you spoke to Belle?"

"Yeah. So is it true? What did she say?"

"Calm your tits, shit. It wasn't a love note. She wrote a note regarding our writing skills at the end of the assignment. She just said that I was pretty good and she was impressed." Emma shrugged and collapsed onto her bed with a sigh.

She could just feel Ruby's smirk over the phone. "I'm sure that's not the only thing she'll be impressed by."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma whined.

"Nothing. That means nothing."

Emma scowled at her phone and crossed her arms, letting the cell lay against her cheek. "You're insane if you think I'll ever be able to get to know her like that, fuck, Rubes. She's probably not even gay."

"You never know!" Ruby sing-songed.

"I'll hang up on you."

"No you won't."

"Fine. But shut up about her." Emma sighed and rolled onto her side, staring blankly at the wall.

"Why?"

"Because. It's stupid and pointless. It'd be different if she were a student, you know? At least I'd have a chance."

"Jeez, Em, lighten up! Just spend some time with her or something. Didn't you say that you spent, like, half your lunch with her?"

Emma frowned and mentally kicked herself. She made the mistake of talking with Ruby later last night as the lanky brunette waitress had texted her sorry with a crying, frowny face. They had talked a bit more and she eventually squeezed more information out of her about Ms. Mills, more than she had told Belle.

"That was to finish a paper and it was just yesterday. I can't just randomly stay in there. She'd think I'm a weirdo or something." The blonde shifted on the bed.

Ruby chuckled. "Wait until you get another paper, you doofus. Maybe then you can. I mean, like, how did it work last time?"

"It was supposed to have been done in class." she murmured. "I doubt the next ones would be like that, considering they'll probably be longer and shit. I can't just stay in during lunch."

"Oh, come on, Em. Take it from the expert, here." Ruby smirked, and Emma could feel it through the way she spoke. "Make up an excuse, like, you can't do it at home or something. I'm sure she'd let you stay."

"Probably not. I doubt she wants me to disrupt her lunch."

"Holy fuck, Emma. Get your head in the fucking game!" Ruby snapped, then muttered a quick apology after a reprimanding voice shouted in the background.  
"Having Granny troubles, I see." Emma chuckled.  
"Shut up." There was some shuffling noise and a click before Ruby spoke again. "Alright, now. Listen to me, girl. I know it'd be weird, like, if you weren't working on it in class, right? And you just stay there and whip it out?"

"Yeah..?"

"Well, how if you 'accidentally' lose track of time or something or try to finish up your thoughts after the bell rings?" she continued.

"Okay?"

There was a long, irritated sigh. "And voila!"

"Look, Rubes, I appreciate your matchmaking help, but it's only been like, what, two days? I just have a crush on her, okay?"

" _Okay_." The word was drawn out as if Ruby didn't believe her.

"And, anyways, what's just sitting in there working on my papers going to do? Make it awkward and make me hungry."

"Take food with you. Make it habitual. Like, ask if you can just eat lunch in there or something. Make it less awkward, and maybe have yourself a break as you eat. Talk." Ruby suggested and Emma swore that she wasn't talking to her friend anymore.

"Huh… Well…" She clucked. "I don't know, Ruby."

"It's just a suggestion. You could try it, or something. Hell, I'll even make you a lunch and you can pick it up in the morning. I've got some stuff that'll last until then."

"Shit. I'll try it.  _Once_. Okay? I'll, like, let you know the next time I have a paper." Emma sighed and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was getting herself into this.

"Good! I gotta go, 'cause Granny's gonna bust down the bathroom door if I don't get my ass out and work. So talk to you later. Love you!"  
"Love you, too. Bye!" Emma chuckled and ended the call, leaving herself to her thoughts.

Ruby's suggestion seemed quite tempting. She wasn't exactly sure what the hell she was trying to do. She'd just wait a couple of weeks, or a month even, before she even tries out this little plan. She wants to make sure that she's right and it is just a crush that would only last for a few more days. If not, she could act on it, but that was guaranteed to nothing. Sure, she'd probably look like a teacher's pet or some shit, staying in there after class to spend lunchtime with her.

Even doing that didn't ensure her of anything. It would probably eventually creep Ms. Mills out and she wouldn't want to be around her anymore. Or even if it didn't have a negative effect, she was quite sure that it wouldn't be anything more than a student/teacher relationship. Nothing special and nothing exciting.

And for some reason, that thought just sent her heart sinking. She didn't want to think about that right now. She didn't want to think about any of these weird feelings right now. They were just screwed up and it had only been two days. What the hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know that this chapter wasn't as long as the first, but it's going to be a bit of a major thing for what's to come. The next chapter should be up soon after I get to reviewing it and, hopefully, it'll be longer for you guys. Thank you once again for the positive reviews! Please R &R. I do enjoy reading what you have to say!


	3. Lunch Attempt #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay. First and foremost. You. Guys. Are. AMAZING! I've got so many positive reviews from you and they just made my day! I never thought this would be that popular, but I was wrong. Thank you so so so so so much for the positive feedback! I really do enjoy reading what you have to say and I hope you keep giving me your opinions!
> 
> With that out of the way, here's another chapter for you amazing peoples! I do a bit of skipping in the upcoming ones because I'm trying to get the story to mainly revolve around Emma and Ms. Mills. If any of you have any ideas or whatnot for lunch conversations between the two, you're more than welcome to suggest things! Thank you once again! And I hope you enjoy! Happy reading! :)

Emma was quite sure Ruby shit her pants when she got a phone call from the blonde a month and a half into the school year. It was early on a Thursday morning when Emma decided to gain the guts to do it. They had been assigned a new writing assignment and today was their workday, as well as tomorrow. It was going to be a chancey thing, trying out Ruby's suggestion. She would try it today, and if she would be able to stay without Ms. Mills being weirded out by her company, she would even try it again on Friday.

Ruby had been surprised when she got the call just a few minutes ago by Emma. Since it had been so long, the waitress assumed that Emma had been right and the little crush hadn't lasted long. But they were both dead wrong and Emma still couldn't peel her eyes away from her creative writing teacher's ass.

Of course, Ruby had berated Emma with several questions, most consisting of why she hadn't called for the other assignments, but the blonde had told her that she still didn't trust her feelings then. But since it had been so long, she decided that it would be best to act now rather than never and waste any time that could be used trying out this silly plan.

Silly, of course it was. It was more than silly. It was utterly ridiculous. But here she was going through with it.

Emma barely heard the question Mary Margaret yelled after her as the blonde rushed out of the house. Why was she leaving so early? She managed to make an incoherent response about picking lunch up from Ruby and continued on her way to run to the diner.

She sprinted all the way to Granny's where Ruby was literally waiting for her outside with a brown paper bag extended from her hand. She flashed her a knowing smile before going back inside and allowing Emma to head to school, stuffing the bag into her backpack.

The first three periods seemed to go on agonizingly slow and gym was no walk in the park. She had to run and boy, did she run. She felt that if she ran fast enough, the period would end quicker. But she was wrong and Mr. Hurst had to stop her before she burned herself out completely. He sent her to walk, instead of run, around the track, which ultimately caused her to sweat excessively underneath the sun.

Emma was pissed by the time she got to the girls' locker room. She smelled and she didn't have enough time to shower. Oh, great. This was her first impression and she smelled like something had crawled under her arms and died.

She tried her best to mask the stench with a few dampened paper towels and tons of deodorant as well as a strange apple perfume that Mary Margaret had gotten her for her birthday.

By the time she had cleaned up, she was late getting out of class. She cursed to herself and asked the gym teacher for a pass before heading towards the English hallway, her head hanging low as she shamefully entered the classroom.

Ms. Mills was in her desk by then while everyone else was writing on pieces of notebook paper. They started. She walked over to the teacher's desk and smiled a sheepish one, a hand holding the pass out.  
Regina looked up, glasses slipping slightly down the bridge of her nose as she gazed at the blonde in front of her. "Nice of you to join us, Emma." she took the pass and set it on her desk. "I've given you classtime to get started on the assignment I handed out on Tuesday."

Emma nodded and politely took her seat, smiling to herself. Being late gave her an advantage. Perhaps she would have more an excuse to stay after class for lunch. Maybe, just maybe…

Emma took her sweet time writing, thinking up complex words that would surely impress Ms. Mills. She wanted to get as little done as possible without looking like a slacker. It was hard, honestly. Her eyes were constantly on the brunette, watching as each time she looked around the classroom from her computer, Emma would go back to writing.

She had gotten a paragraph and a half when the bell rang. Her stomach did small flips as she remained seated, the other students leaving in haste for lunch. Just like the first day, Ms. Mills didn't comment. She pulled out the same small container, Emma noted as she watched, and a fork that stabbed at lettuce. A salad. She must like to eat healthy, Emma thought with a scrunch of her nose.

Before the fork rose to those deliciously plump lips, Ms. Mills stared at Emma with a quirked brow. "Making a habit of yourself, are we? I know that you have no need to stay in here, Emma. You do know that, don't you? You'll get time tomorrow to work on it in class."

"I… uh…" Emma stuttered, feeling as if her brain were about to malfunction, if it hadn't already. She hadn't thought of a backup plan in case it hadn't worked. It was a surefire success, Ruby had said. Fuck you, Ruby.  _Fuck you_.

Ms. Mills kept that brow lifted as she stared at Emma. Slowly, she brought the fork the rest of the way to her mouth and ate what was off of it.

"Are you alright, Emma?"

"I-I don't… time… none. Nope." She tried, but the sentence didn't seem to form. Oh, God, now she wished she could just die.

Regina blinked slightly and tilted her head. "Well, I'm glad that your writing is much more coherent than your speaking, dear."

"S-sorry." Emma looked down to her bag, the lunch Ruby had made her was nearly falling out. Ms. Mills must have noticed her gaze, for her eyes went to the bag.

"Emma, tell me, why are you really in here? Because, clearly, you don't need to work on the paper. Every other student is capable of finishing it within class and I have seen you do it yourself, and turn it in well before others."

"I…" Emma visibly gulped. Fuck. What if she already got caught in the act? What the hell was she going to do? Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit.

"Well?" Ms. Mills stared at her, eyes narrowed, as Emma sat with her mouth hung open.

Then she just blurted it.

"I don't have anyone to sit with at lunch and my friend has it fourth period and there's just too many people and I don't have enough time to walk home and eat and come back and I hate school lunch." she exhaled a deep breath. It was all true, except for the bit about walking home. She didn't live far from the school and she had plenty of time to eat and do what she wanted there. But what else was she going to do? She had to make up some excuse as to why she was here. Perhaps if she made the pretty teacher sympathetic.

Ms. Mills looked at her, lips parted and eyes a bit larger than before. "E-Emma… I didn't know. If you had this problem, you could have stayed in here before."

"R-really?" Emma looked at her, pink slightly tinting her cheeks. God, she hoped Ms. Mills couldn't see that.

"Of course! I eat alone, anyways, as you see. I do quite enjoy the company from time to time." She offered a smile, soft and genuine. "To tell you the truth, I'm not much of a social person myself. That's why I don't go to the teacher's break room. I spend it in here."

"Oh?" Emma slightly frowned. She reached down and grabbed the paper bag out of her backpack before taking a daring move and scooted her chair the few feet next to Ms. Mills herself. The woman's scent was much stronger, a spicy perfume filled Emma's senses and, oh god, it was nice. It reminded her of apple cider. But then again, that just might be her own body spray that she virtually drowned herself in earlier.

Her eyes roamed over the desk before her. Seeing it close up like this was strange and she could see what that container had. Just a little bit of salad. Didn't seem like much. She sat back in her seat and opened up the bag to see what the hell Ruby had given her. She pulled out a tin-foiled wrapped item, and then another. With a blink, she peered inside the bag and giggled unexpectedly.

Of course Ruby would do that.

_I made you a grilled cheese, girl, and I put in an extra in case your girlfriend's hungry._

"What's so funny?" Ms. Mills looked up from her salad, brows knit together.

"N-Nothing. Just a note my friend gave me. She packed me a lunch, but it seems she gave me an extra sandwich." Emma stated nonchalantly, hoping that it sounded innocent. She stopped and looked over to her teacher. "Hey, is that all you have?"

"What? This salad?" She nodded, then shrugged, nibbling on a leaf. "I try to eat light. If I eat a heavy lunch, I get sick, and getting sick in the middle of class is not a good thing."

"Hm, I suppose not." Emma agreed, then bit her lip, eyes on the greens in the small container. "You should eat more than that…" she mumbled, half hoping that the brunette hadn't heard her.

"I thought you were my student?" The rich laugh that came from Ms. Mills' lips made Emma's heart rate speed up.

"Y-yeah… But…" she chewed on her lower lip and nudged the extra grilled cheese in front for Regina. "Eating very little isn't good, either. You could faint for lack of energy. It's happened to me before at one of my foster homes."

"Oh?" Ms. Mills' voice seemed to have taken a concern tone. Her brown eyes met with green as Emma looked up and nodded. She hadn't exactly meant to let that slip. It just felt so easy to talk with the brunette teacher for some reason. It felt so… right. Although, the entire thing was weird and she was starting to get dizzy over what was happened. Nothing, right now. Nothing was happening. They were just talking. A student to a teacher.

But Emma continued anyways. "Yes. Some of these foster homes… some of these 'families' just take theses foster kids in for a paycheck, you know? They barely keep us fed, because most of the money goes towards drugs than towards groceries for the house. We had to ration a lot in one of the houses. I lived in that place for about six years before one of the kids almost died from starvation. He was taken to the hospital from our school and everything was explained and those damned bastards got taken in. It took me a year or two before I got back on track to eating like a proper kid should." she paused and blushed, realizing that she had said something that she probably shouldn't have in front of a teacher. "Sorry for the language, Ms. Mills."

But that seemed to have been the least of Emma's teacher's concern. She just stared at Emma like she was seeing her in a whole different light. Her eyes sparkled with what the blonde assumed were tears. She frowned herself.

"So those stories, Emma, the ones you write…"

"Yeah, they're true." Emma looked to her lap, wondering how the hell they got into such a deep conversation about her past.

"Emma, if you ever need someone to talk with…" Ms. Mills had said softly, a hand reaching forward to grab Emma's own.

The blonde looked up, her entire arm was now tingling from the contact and nearly made her squirm. Oh, God, she hoped that Regina couldn't hear her heart beating, because that thing was going like a ticking time bomb.

She gazed at the teacher, deeply staring into those muddy pools. They were full of some sort of understanding. It was different. She wondered if she had experienced the same thing, because that wasn't pity in her eyes. Everyone else was usually so plastic with their emotions, telling her that they were sorry for what happened to her and that it should have never happened. That's just something they say to kids. But right now, she felt like she had some sort of crazy connection with her teacher over this painful subject. It wasn't something she liked to bring up and she never really told anyone else her stories.

It was so fucking weird how she felt with Ms. Mills. It was far too strange and the feeling in her stomach made it ache. She didn't know whether to puke or faint.

And then she did it, and for god only knows why, she leaned forward ever so slightly. It only close some of the distance between them and she wasn't sure if Ms. Mills had noticed or not, she just stay there with her eyes locked on Emma's. Funny, they seem to be darker than they were just moments ago.

Then that happened. The bell that indicated half the period went by, which would also alternate lunches, rang, startling the both of them. Ms. Mills blinked her eyes as the back of her rolling chair jerked and hit the desk, while Emma was now on the floor, squirming to grab her grilled cheese from under the teacher's desk.

"Crap. I hate that bell." she muttered, taking her seat once again as she finally retrieved her lunch. Emma then unwrapped it from the tinfoil and grinned. It still felt warm.

"You should eat the other one while it's still warm." she suggested to her teacher, who just stared blankly at the blonde.

Emma, too, stopped her motions and gazed at the brunette curiously. Okay, perhaps pretending whatever little moment that was didn't happen probably wasn't the best right now. Her teacher look conflicted between hitting herself or going nuts. Emma wasn't quite sure, but she shoved the extra grilled cheese into her hands.

"Look, I know… Okay… I dunno what the hell just happened. The bell rang and scared the sh- I mean  _crap_  out of you. Don't look so shell shocked. It was just a bell." She danced around why the bell had exactly scared them, not sure if it would be best to bring up.

But, of course, Ms. Mills probably thought different, for she took the tinfoil clad grilled cheese and set it on her desk. Soon, dark eyes were staring intently at Emma, sharp and serious. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I guess." Emma shrugged, knowing very well that she probably would have kissed her teacher if not for the bell. But Ms. Mills did not need to know that. It was highly inappropriate. And she was still quite sure that the brunette didn't swing that way, either.

"I must just be…"

"You should eat that before it gets cold. Maybe it'll do you some good." Emma chanced, taking a generous bite out of her own sandwich. She watched as her teacher carefully opened the tinfoil and picked the grilled cheese out of its wrapping, then slowly brought it up to her mouth and took a bite.

"I hope you like grilled cheese. I never asked…" Emma bit her lip. "I-I mean. I don't want to force you to eat it. It was extra after all. I could have just eaten it myself or something-"

"It's delicious. Thank you for sharing it with me." Ms. Mills smiled carefully. "I must admit, though, that you're right. I should probably eat more than a salad."

"Why a salad?" The blonde's curiosity seemed to have gotten the better of her.

Regina's eyebrow quirked at her, chocolate orbs roaming over to the abandoned container. "I suppose it's just the quickest to throw together."

"You like sleep, too, huh?" Emma chuckled and took another bite. "I usually skip breakfast to sleep in late. But, today, I had to get up early  _and_  skip breakfast to pick this up from Ruby."

"Ruby?"

"Yeah. Ruby Lucas. She graduated last year. I think she took your class before, or so she told me." Emma shrugged and stuffed the rest of her grilled cheese into her mouth.

"Oh, yes, Ms. Lucas. I remember her. She was quite the disturbance."

The teen laughed. "Really? I mean, I guess that sounds like her. But, damn, she makes one hell of a grilled cheese, right?"

"Why would she make you lunch?"

"Oh. I thought you knew that she worked at her grandmother's cafe. She offered to make me lunch because… Uh… Yeah, she offered to make me lunches so I didn't have to walk all the way there." Emma shrugged nonchalantly, kicking herself mentally for that. She almost blew her goddamn cover. Hopefully Ms. Mills wouldn't feel inclined to ask more questions.

"Send her my regards. She makes a lovely grilled cheese." The brunette smiled and the blonde nearly sighed with relief.

"Maybe I can have her make an extra, like, everyday?" The words were out of Emma's mouth before she realized and as soon as she  _had_  realized it, her jaw was wired shut.

The words had caught Ms. Mills by surprise and she swore she saw something like appreciation in her eyes and this look as if it were all so foreign to her. And, oh God, that faint little smile on her lips.

"Would you really do that?"

"Yeah. Then you wouldn't have to worry about getting up those extra five minutes to throw rabbit food into a plastic container." she dared to further the conversation, nodding tightly. "And it's no bother for me to get up ten minutes early to pick this up."

"You don't really have to, you do know this? It's not really appropriate."

"Oh, come on, Ms. Mills. It's just lunch." Emma bit her lip and squished the aluminum foil into a ball before depositing it into the brown paper bag. "Look, I mean, I don't have to stay in here. It's fine, really. I could eat somewhere else. Outside isn't too bad or the hallway or something maybe."

Then she saw it. A flicker of disappointment in Ms. Mills' eyes. A look of loneliness, which appeared to not be so foreign to the brunette teacher. And right then and there, Emma wanted to kick herself. She already fucked up the first day and there might not be a second.

"As you wish. It would probably be for the best."  
"Unless you want me to be in here." Emma whispered softly and waited for some sort of negative comment.

But she was taken by surprise by what Ms. Mills had said next. "It's nice to have the company."

"Oh?"

"Look, Emma. You feel free to do what you wish. If you decide that you do not want to eat in here, that's fine. I do not mind. If you do wish to, I will not be opposed." Her words were simple, but they made Emma turn to putty. Oh, God, this woman. She was dancing around her feelings. She wanted so bad for the company, but didn't want to seem desperate about it. She didn't want to admit that she wanted someone there to eat lunch with, even if it were to be in companionable silence.

"Then I'll stay tomorrow and I may or may not have an extra grilled cheese again." Emma simply stated, trying to sate a smile from spreading across her lips.

"If you feel so inclined to." Ms. Mills gave her a short nod, although the slight tilt of her lips gave her away. "You'll probably want to get packed up. The bell is about to ring."

Emma immediately turned her head to look at the clock above the door and, shit, she was right. There was less than one minute until the bell rang and her next class was clear across the school. Of course, it would be simple to get there, but the amount of students in the hallway always blocked her path and made the trip much longer than it really needed to be.

"Yeah. I ought to… Uh, see you tomorrow, Ms. Mills." The blonde gave her a small smile as she flung her backpack over her shoulder and replaced the chair that she had moved. She then quickly collected the garbage from their lunch and threw it into the bin on her way out.

"Have a good day, Emma."

"You too!"

And boy, she would have a good day after having lunch with her now dubbed favorite teacher. The rest of the day would be dedicated to that one hour that she had with her and thoughts about what they were going to do tomorrow. She knew she was smiling like an idiot to herself and she just couldn't help it. There was no stopping her elated mood, and little did she know, that Ms. Mills had wore the same smile on her lips as soon as Emma had wished her a good day.

Emma just made it to her government class as the bell rang. Belle looked up from her desk as the door clicked shut and Mr. Glass quirked a brow.  
"Right in the nick of time, Emma." he clucked his tongue. "Have a seat. We're going to get started."

Emma nodded and quickly headed to her spot next to Belle, whom had immediately started to berate her with whispered questions. One of which was asking where she had been.

"I had lunch in my fourth period class." she said, a proud smirk on her lips.

"You actually took Ruby's advice?" Belle's eyebrows rose and she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "Seriously? How did it go?"

Emma shrugged and exhaled. "Ruby gave me an extra grilled cheese and she put a note in the bag, telling me that she made it for my 'girlfriend.'" With that memory, the blonde rolled her eyes.

"Really?" Her brunette friend laughed. "What did you do?"

"I offered Ms. Mills the grilled cheese and she ate it. Did you know all she eats is this tiny little salad?" Emma shook her head.

Belle just looked astonished. "You got her to eat more than that salad?"

"Yeah? So?"  
"Holy crap, Em."

"What's the big deal?"

"Everyone figures she's a health nut since all she does eat is that and some apple. We've never seen her with anything else. Maybe a cookie or two, but that's it." The bookworm shook her head and chuckled, shoving Emma playfully with her shoulder.

"She told me that she just doesn't have enough time in the morning to make anything else. I asked her." she smirked, proud of herself for getting that kind of information from the infamous teacher.

"Really? Christ. The one time someone  _did_  question her it had been one of the years she had a fourth period lunch and taught fifth. She was still picking at the salad and someone asked her about it. She just said she liked them and they were the healthiest thing." Belle explained, eyeing Emma with a knowing smirk.

And at that moment, Emma felt like she accomplished the impossible. "Well, I got her to eat grilled cheese and I'm gonna bring more extras tomorrow and I don't think she minds."

Belle blinked. "Really? Are you sure that you're conversing with  _the_  Ms. Mills or some impostor? Because she does  _not_ , like,  _ever_ , open up or whatever like that. She eats alone for a reason. Everyone's afraid of her, I think."

"Yeah, it's the right one." The blonde grinned smugly. "And about that. She said that she only eats alone because she's not really social or something. So, like, it's her choice. But she likes my company."

"She  _likes_  your company?"

"God, don't act so surprised..." she grumbled softly. "But, yes, she even said so herself. That's why she let me stay, I'm pretty sure. She's lonely." Emma frowned, then paused and looked at Belle. "Does she have a boyfriend or something?"

"I don't know." Belle shrugged, froze, then shot Emma a smirk. "Are you going to try to go down that path or something?"

"I might be able to eventually drag it out of her." Emma nodded. "I came up with a half-bullshit story that I don't have anywhere to eat lunch and no one to sit with, she felt like shit and let me stay."

"You're definitely not dining with the right Ms. Mills. I mean, that woman is a tough hardass." Belle was in a state of disbelief now, unable to comprehend what her friend was telling her. Emma was quite sure that she broke through some sort of exterior shell on her teacher that no one ever dared to crack.

"You're lucky, Em."

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want them making fun of me or anything. I mean… I probably look like a teacher's pet or something, just staying in there like that. I'm pretty sure some of my classmates think that." she pouted slightly.

"Can Ruby be an exception?" Belle pleaded, bouncing slightly in her seat.

"You tell her everything anyways." Emma glared at her friend, remembering the first day of school when the brunette had blurted out Emma's little crush on Ms. Mills.

"Good." Belle smirked and wrote something down into her notebook. "We have an assignment."

"What?"

"That's what that is. You were distracted by your regal bitch again."

"Shut up, Belle." Emma huffed and wrote down the assignment as well, given barely enough time before the bell rang, dismissing class. "Hey, what're we doing in art today?"

"I think we're doing something with letters or words or whatever. Being creative with them." Belle explained as the two friends walked out of the government room. "I think it's your name, but I'm sure you can choose a random word, too."

"Oh…" Emma grinned to herself, an idea popping into her head. "Thanks."

"Uh, you're welcome?"

"Yeah, yeah…" And then Emma nearly sprinted to her next period class, leaving a Belle to chase behind her.


	4. Lunch Attempt #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much, once again, for your positive feedback! And I would like to thank you for a few suggestions that, let me tell you, I could very well use. I'm a bit clunky and awkward trying to write out all the personalities and keep them to how they are in the show that I do tend to leave some things out. I can see Emma as keeping to herself, but I think I got her a little too excited about getting attention from her teacher that she tended to just blurt it out. That would probably change further on.
> 
> On another note, I do have a lot of this pre-written, and I'm just reviewing chunks for each chapter. Depending upon how much you would like to read about Regina and Emma talking and progressing with their relationship during lunches, I can (and will if you want) write more of their happyfriendtimes.
> 
> I am open to your critique. I can always edit before posting to add/delete things you may want, or not like. After all, you are the readers and you help me mold the story to its potential. Thank you and I do hope you enjoy reading! Reviews are welcome any time. :)

"I made art." Emma pulled her backpack over with her as she scooted her chair next to Ms. Mills' desk once again.

It was Friday, fifth period, and as promised Emma had brought the extra grilled cheese with her to give to Ms. Mills as she stayed after class once again without an excuse of trying to finish her paper.

The previous day in art class, they had worked on making words creative. Of course, she chose Ms. Mills' name and used the best of her artistic ability to perfect it. Each loop of words and each vine constricting them together made Emma proud of her work and she hoped that her teacher would like it, considering that she had made it just for her.

"You made art? Congratulations, Emma." Regina chuckled softly and carefully unwrapped the grilled cheese, muttering a 'thank you' before taking a bite of it.

"Yeah. In art class yesterday. I made something for you." The blonde teen smiled proudly, pulling out a thick piece of parchment to hand to the brunette. On it were the letters that made up  _Ms. Mills_  and below that, in the bottom right corner was Emma's signature of  _E. Swan_.

"Oh, wow, Emma… This is really,  _really_ , good. You're as talented in art as you are in writing." She smiled and moved to hand it back, but Emma shook her head.

"No, I want you to keep it."

"Thank you," the brunette's appreciative smile was wide and white, reaching her eyes. "I should hang this up on my wall of student art."

"You have a wall?" Emma blinked, a sting of jealousy wringing through her at that thought. She wanted it to be special, but if it were to just hang up next to other artworks…

"I believe the question you are looking for is if I have other students' art. And the answer is, no." Ms. Mills' smile faded somewhat as she brought out a tack to place the new artwork on a poster board on the wall by her desk. The only other items tacked to the board were a calender and a paper that stated the school day schedule.

"No one's ever made you anything? I thought people did that?"

"For their favorite teachers. And, dear, let me tell you that I am no one's favorite." she rolled her chair back in place, eyes now locked on the partially eaten grilled cheese on her desk. Emma had noticed the tone that she had taken to her tone. Dear God, these students were assholes.

"Why… why would you say that?"

"Obviously I am not deaf, Emma." Ms. Mills still hadn't taken her eyes away from the sandwich. "I do realize that I can be a bitch at times. I know that I don't exactly give everyone a good grade, but I'm not just going to let them get easy grades. You have to work for it. But they do not understand that and so my class gains a bad reputation." she sighed softly. "I might as well put a sign on my door warning to turn back now because this teacher sucks, since that is what I hear these students say. As you may have noticed, the class number dropped dramatically after the first day. After they realized who they had."

"You can't be so sure. Maybe they didn't want to take this class. I should know. We just wanna take ones that promise easy grades so we have a smooth year." Emma shrugged, frowning at the way Ms. Mills' voice had dropped incredibly now, as if she were afraid to speak her thoughts. It just made Emma's heart sink. It wasn't really her business to snoop around in her teacher's feelings and personal life, but goddamn, she really wanted to put a beat down on these students that made Regina feel like shit.

"No," Emma barely heard the negative comment. She leaned forward as Ms. Mills began to speak once again.

"Mr. Booth's creative writing class grew. During the first meeting, he had to give up his planning period to add in another class. My students transferred, Emma."

"But we aren't allowed to switch teachers?" Emma furrowed her brows, wondering how the hell they would have done that. As far as she knew, the rules were still intact.

"Oh, Emma dear. They have their ways. Mr. Hopper is a pushover and when students come to him demanding they get a different teacher because they don't want to fail, well…" She chuckled darkly.

"Fuck," she mumbled.

"Language, Miss Swan, or have you forgotten that you're speaking with a teacher?" Ms. Mills quirked a brow, but the menace seemed to have dissipated from it.

"Sorry…"

"It's quite alright. I must apologize for telling you this. I shouldn't pour my grievances on my students." She offered a tight, plastic smile before going back to her grilled cheese, making a mild look of distaste when she had found it cold.

Emma had long finished her own sandwich, so instead, she just watched Ms. Mills, thoughts running through her mind. What the hell did the people in this school take her for? They were so disrespectful, especially if they allowed a minor schedule change just to switch teachers because they were too scared of a little challenge. The teachers around this place didn't seem so enthused to come to her defense, either. Emma wasn't too certain on those thoughts, though, since she didn't know exactly everything. But by what she conceived, she expected that they only came to Ms. Mills with their own grievance of not having enough room in their classes because of transfers and blame it all on her for being a horrible teacher.

Emma, of course, being herself and having this pull towards the woman, didn't see how she was such a horrible teacher and, in fact, she was the best one that she had. The woman can, sure, be a hardass in the classroom at times, but she was just doing her job when she graded assignments. It wasn't her fault that the incompetents taking her class didn't know how to properly write or were too lazy to revise their papers before turning them in.

"It's fine, honestly." Emma shrugged and played with a blonde lock that fell in front of her face.

"It's not, Emma. I've just…" Ms. Mills furrowed those perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "I've never opened up so much before to someone. I… I suppose it's just because I haven't spoken with someone for more than five minutes."

"I understand what you mean, actually." Emma confided carefully. "I was like that with very few people. One time, I was really young, so I didn't really understand that some things should just be left unsaid- I mean, I'm not telling you to not say anything, but... But, uh, yeah… I understand how you feel. Sometimes there's just someone that you can click with. That happened with Ruby and Belle when I first met them. It took awhile, actually. Well, not  _too_  long… I just mean, that… you know, you can just click and it becomes easy to talk with someone after knowing that they could be a potential good friend. I thought that you'd have more friends? I mean… Usually teachers are friends with each other being coworkers and all."

"Barely," Ms. Mills chuckled and shook her head, then paused. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but you're just so easy to talk to."

"I know. I mean, I  _don't_  know, but I  _do_."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ms. Swan?"

Emma smirked and shook her head, completely losing her train of thought now. "I know how you feel, that it's just so easy to talk, because that's how I feel with you. Maybe it's because I'm afraid of losing my friends and I just don't want to talk about the deep, personal stuff that I usually don't ship out for free. It's… it's not that I don't care what you think of me- because I do. I really do… And… Oh, god, I probably shouldn't have said that."

"I know what you mean, Emma. You want to confide in someone, but you're just unsure of who. I'm here and I'm willing to listen and… I really am, dear. I don't want you to think that I'm not. I do quite enjoy the company and, by your writing…"

"Yeah," Emma mumbled and bit her lip, cutting her off. "Thank you. I appreciate it. I just can't talk to Mary Margaret or David about it… I don't really think they'd wanna hear about it anyways. I mean, I guess, I don't really know if  _you_  want to hear about it."

"I don't mind, Emma." Ms. Mills smiled softly. "You're a bright girl and I don't want you to burden yourself with all of these bottled up emotions. It's not good and it can really put a damper on your life."

"And you," Emma suddenly said, breaking the eye contact that they had seemed to have connected themselves moments ago. "If you feel obliged to tell of your feelings, please, do. I don't mind and, trust me, I won't use anything against you. I know how it feels keeping things on the inside and I can only imagine what you have hidden underneath all those layers of regal bitchiness."

"Regal bitchiness?" Brows rose now at the new term.

"My friend, Belle, she always says something like that. She took your class, I think last year? Belle French?" Emma tilted her head and smiled. "She means no harm. She liked you, but she was just a bit flabbergasted about receiving a B. She's a damned bookworm."

"Ms. French. I remember her. She was one of my more dedicated students. I quite enjoyed her writing." Ms. Mills nodded slightly and shuffled through a stack of assignments on her desk.

"Yeah. She's pretty damned good, but she says I'm better. I don't think so." Emma wrinkled her nose slightly, remembering the compliment that her friend had told her earlier on in the year. "I take art with her, too. She's so much better at it than I am."

"That's unbelievable." Ms. Mills quirked a brow, her chocolate orbs sliding over to the piece of art that Emma had given her when lunch had started. "You're pretty damned good as far as I can see."

"She's fifty thousand times better." Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "Say, we're going to be starting to draw portraits in a week or two and I still need a picture. Uh..." she paused, snapping her mouth shut. What the hell was she doing?

"You are? Who are you going to use, or is it a self portrait?"

"I wanted…" Emma blushed slightly and sat back in her seat. " I wanted to draw you."

That took her by surprise. Ms. Mills' eyes widened slightly and Emma thought she just looked so adorable with those lips slightly parted in surprise.

"Really?"

"I mean, if you'd let me. I still have to snap a picture and a candid one probably wouldn't work." Emma shrugged slightly and continued to blush. "I mean… If it makes you feel uncomfortable…"

"I-It's fine. You just… took me by surprise, is all." Then the corners of her mouth turned upward, the smile on her lips stealing the air right from Emma's lungs.

"So you don't mind if I take your picture and draw that pr-.. Your face?" Emma cleared her throat, trying to recover from the slip that she had nearly made.

"Go right ahead, dear." Ms. Mills chuckled and watched as Emma pulled out her cell phone, then took a few steps away.

"Alright. Smile!"

And she did. And, _oh god,_  that smile just killed Emma. She nearly dropped her phone right there as she felt her entire body just go  _weak_. Swallowing thickly, she nodded and squeaked out a strained, "that's good," because that's all she could manage without looking like a damned fool. That woman was nearly smirking. Her eyes were sparkling with an almost devious shine and,  _fuck_ , that smile was all too genuine.

Emma snapped the scene in front of her, a flash from her phone and a blinking teacher later, the blonde stared at the memory forever captured into the cellular device.

"Got it," she whispered.

"I didn't blink, did I?"

"No, you're perfect." Emma smiled, but it immediately dropped as soon as she realized what she had said. "I mean, it's perfect. See?" Then she held the phone up for Ms. Mills to take a peek at the picture.

"I look like a zombie." she joked with a tsk.

Emma smiled in amusement because, no, she didn't look like a zombie, and yes, she was perfect. Soon Emma had slipped the phone back into her pocket and muttered her gratitude.

"Hey, Ms. Mills?"

"Yes, Emma?"

"What time is it?" The blonde furrowed her brows at the clock above the door, surprised that it had appeared way past the time fifth period would have been over. If the clock wasn't lying, it would be the middle of sixth period now and, fuck, she was missing it. And how the hell hadn't she heard the bell? And why the hell was the class empty, considering it was sixth period.

"It's about two-" then her own eyes widened. "It's sixth period."

"Government. I'm missing it." Emma frowned, not exactly caring that she was missing that class. All Mr. Glass did was drone on about words that appeared on the smartboard in a powerpoint, then allow them the rest of the time to do a "study" in which everyone just talked with each other. It wasn't much of a class to miss since she never paid any attention half the time and the notes were online, which she could easily access at home.

"I'll write you out a pass." Ms. Mills immediately responded, grabbing the little pad that sat on the corner of her desk. "You said Government, correct?"

"It's pointless to go," she shrugged. "I mean, I missed half the class and we usually just go over notes in that amount of time and do nothing after. By the time I get there, that's where they'll be."

Maybe if she could just convince her…

"You do have to go to class, Emma. The office will call your parents if you skip."

"I'm not skipping. And they're pretty understanding. All I have to say is that I was talking to you." Emma shrugged and played with a piece of her golden locks. "Why can't I just stay? It doesn't look like you have a class."

"It's my… planning period." Ms. Mills' voice was gruff as she pushed the pad away from her.

Then it hit Emma. She had probably lost so many students that she had an open period that wasn't there before. Maybe that's why she didn't mind the company for lunch. She was alone for two hours.

"Planning period?" Emma quirked a brow. "Look, I've been here for half the class, just let me stay. I'll be good and go to gov on Monday."

"Only this once, Emma." The brunette's lips twitched, despite the struggle of keeping that smile from coming.

"Thank you!"

"Not so fast." She chuckled.

"Sorry. Mr. Glass is just…" Emma shook her head and sighed, slumping back into her seat. She didn't know how to describe that man. He looked as if he didn't want to be there half the time, and that was probably why he usually only talked about notes on the board before going to his desk in the back corner.

"You have Mr. Glass?" Ms. Mills' eyes were quite large, and frighteningly so. Emma swore they were going to pop out of her skull.

"Yeah?"

"I can tell him that you're here. He'll mark you present." she rolled her chair over to the computer on the far corner of her desk, then picked up the phone that sat next to it. She dialed a few keys and waited, receiver up to her ear.

And Emma wondered what the hell that was about.

"Hello, Sydney? ...Yes, this is Regina. I have a student of yours here with me… Yes. Emma Swan… Nolan." The brunette had this devious smirk on her lips and they looked just so evil, Emma couldn't help but to whimper softly at this new side. She had not one clue what kind of relationship was going on between the two and, oh god, she hoped that they weren't dating because that would confirm her fears. And fuck. Emma didn't know if she could handle the truth.

She broke from her thoughts as the brunette teacher spoke into the phone, her voice sharp, unlike it had been when speaking with Emma.

"I would appreciate if you were to mark her present for your class… Yes, she won't be going back. Wh… If you feel so inclined to…. Yes, I will. Thank you. Goodbye." Then the receiver was back into its cradle as Ms. Mills rolled her chair back to Emma once again.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but I will anyways. He said he would mark you present, even if you aren't in the class. Of course, the exception being you have a sick day."

"Seriously?" Emma gawked at the new information. What the hell kind of control did she have over that man? They must be dating if she was able to so easily convince the man to do  _that_.

"Yes. Seriously." Ms. Mills smirked and it looked so proud.

"Is that an invitation to stay during sixth period, now?"

"No."

"Aw…" Emma whined softly, but the smile on her face gave her away.

"You still have to go to class despite the attendance record. You must pass that class in order to graduate, as I'm sure you know. Do not take advantage of this." She warned, arms crossing tightly over the black sweater she wore.

The blonde nodded, her fingers drumming mindlessly on her thighs. "I won't. I promise I won't."

"Good." Regina nodded and shuffled through the papers on her desk. Emma loved how the woman trusted her  _that_  much.

And then the words just spilled from Emma's mouth like verbal diarrhea and,  _oh god_ , she wished her mind was faster than her mouth. And was she glad that the two of them had become something similar to friends because she was sure if she were to ask that question to any other teacher, she'd be sent down to Mr. Gold's office with a detention slip.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Pardon?"

"Like, are you two dating? I mean… You seemed-"

And then she's laughing.  
And, holy shit, it's so rich and melodical. Emma swore if she could record Ms. Mills laughing and play it back on repeat, she would never tire of it.

"No, dear. He seems to be infatuated with me for some odd reason. It's all unrequited."

She said  _that_.  
It was like she was worried to let Emma think she had this infatuation with Mr. Glass right back. But then she said that.

"Don't tell anyone, though. Although, I'm quite sure that most know… so I suppose it wouldn't exactly mattered." She quickly butted into Emma's thoughts. "I don't want the students to tease him about this. It's probably hard enough since I… laughed in his face…" she frowned, a look of guilt on her face, but it only lasted a moment before her visage turned to stone.

"I won't. Trust me." Emma said, her tone so light and airy, she hoped that wouldn't give her away.

"Thank you." Ms. Mills exhaled a breath that Emma was sure she didn't know she had been holding. "Keep this confidential. He's doing you a favor."

"And so are you. You're keeping me from his boring class. I don't want to sound like a bitch- pardon- or anything, but, it's like he doesn't want to be there."

"He probably doesn't." And that's all she said on the subject before nudging away from the topic. "You should probably get ready. The bell's about to ring and I know how far the art hall is from here." Ms. Mills flashed her that winning smile once again before standing up, her dark beige slacks tightening around her thighs as she did so. "I can give you a hall pass so you're able to get there faster."

"Thanks," Emma stood as well with her backpack, grunting at the weight of it. She quickly took the small pass that the teacher had given her and flashed a smile. "Thanks."

"You already said that, dear." Regina chuckled melodically and followed Emma towards the door. "Go on before the bell rings. It's sixth, there's going to be a large crowd around here, soon." She urged, a gentle hand touching Emma's shoulder.

She was sure that Ms. Mills had felt the shiver coursing through her body from that one touch, and god, she hoped that it would be passed off as a cold shiver. It  _was_  rather drafty…

"Have a good day, Emma. I'll see you on Monday."

"Thanks. See you." Emma nodded and that smile, just like yesterday, could not be helped as she walked out the door and into the desolate hall. But she stopped, turned, and looked over to Regina who was now standing outside the door, holding it open against the wall. She shot her a confused looked, but Emma merely smiled wider and waved.

"Have a good weekend, Ms. Mills." Then she shot off as the bell rang. Damn, she wasn't going to beat the traffic in the hallway. But she didn't mind so much. The genuinely happy, and yet surprised, smile on the English teacher's face just made her day.

* * *

 

"Where the hell were you?" Belle immediately confronted Emma as the blonde took her spot in the art room. "Mr. Glass was boring as hell and I had no one to talk to."

"Sorry." Emma mumbled, a soft giggle slipping from her lips. "I didn't hear the bell ring and I ended up staying in Ms. Mills' room halfway through the period."

"Did she call Mr. Glass?"

"Yeah."  
Belle smirked. "I knew it! I heard him say your name, but it was so quiet, because everyone else was talking. He said he'd mark you present?"

"Ms. Mills convinced him to, I guess." Emma smirked, knowing just why that was.

"'Cause he has this crush on her." Belle voiced her friend's thoughts.

"Wh-.. How did you know?"

"Everyone knows, but they don't say anything. I mean, I don't think  _everyone_. But the people who have seen those two talk to each other, it's clear. He'd do anything she says."

"She doesn't like him back." The blonde blurted.

Belle chuckled and took out her sketch book as the bell sounded, indicating the start of class. She nudged Emma knowingly. "Yeah, I know."

"Of course you did…" The blonde mumbled, doing the same with her own sketch book. She opened it to where they had left off yesterday, practicing small objects and scenes using the grid method.

"Oh, Em," the voice beside her suddenly spoke. "Did you get a picture?"

"Yeah."

"She let you do it?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me about it!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Belle. Shut up."

"No. Tell me."

"Why?"

"I wanna know her reaction."

"Belle."

"Come on…"

"Shut up."

"Please."

"No."

"If you tell me, I'll shut up."

"... fine." Emma groaned and glared at her friend's persistence. Why the hell was Belle so nosey? She wished Ruby were here sometimes, just so the little brunette would shut her mouth. With a shake of her head, she whispered. "She was surprised, but she didn't mind."

"Surprised?" Belled tilted her head, pausing her work. "How so?"

"I don't know." The blonde shrugged and pulled her phone out, hiding it underneath the table. She nudged Belle with her leg and smirked, the picture of Ms. Mills on her phone showed up.

"I've never seen her smile like that."

"It's probably her photo smile." Emma shrugged. "She knew I was drawing her."

"I would need you to put your phone away, Emma." The teacher, Ms. Boyd, had spoke as she passed by the two friends' table.

"Sorry, Ms. Boyd…" Emma mumbled and quickly shoved the device back into her pocket. It wasn't until the blonde teacher had glided away that she backhanded her laughing friend's arm.

"Shut up."

"I bet you're going to have that as your background by the end of the semester."

"No I won't."

"Okay…" Belle drew the word out, a knowing smirk on her lips.

"I hate you," Emma muttered, going back to their assignment.  
Belle chuckled and mewled quietly before doing the same. "No you don't."

* * *

 

"She has her picture!" Belle squealed, running over to the counter where Ruby was currently waitressing an older gentleman. The lanky brunette looked up, dark eyes widening in surprise at her friend's sudden outburst. Then she smirked, knowing who and what she was speaking of.

Emma had trudged in behind Belle, grumbling about how many ways she could kill and dispose of both her friends.

"Look at sourpuss over there." Ruby puffed out her lower lip to mock the blonde as she slid onto one of the stools. "Come on, Em, lighten up!" the waitress slid a mug of cinnamon hot cocoa in front of her and an iced tea in front of Belle who had occupied the spot next to the blonde.

"Shut up, guys." She grumbled and turned to Belle. "I told you not to tell her."

"I will as you tell me about this picture on your phone." Ruby smirked as Emma's other brunette friend just shrugged.

"It's for an art project."

"Sure it is."

"It actually is…" Belle giggled. "The only reason why I know who it was going to be, and is, is because she sits right next to me."

Emma shot her a glare, then looked up to Ruby who quirked a brow. "I'm drawing her. She agreed to let me use her face."

"Uh huh…" Ruby licked her lips and bent over onto her elbows. "Did she like the grilled cheese?"

"It was cold." Emma muttered.

"Oh, shut up!" She swatted the blonde with a dish towel, only to roll her eyes when someone called for her. "I'll be back. Tell me the juicy gossip when I get back."

"You two are driving me crazy. Ever since I told you…" Emma shook her head. "Why are you always teasing me about it?"

"We aren't." Belle frowned. "I thought you were taking it better than this."

Emma shook the hand off her shoulder and played with the steaming mug of cocoa in front of her. "Well, I'm not! I shouldn't have told you. This is why I don't share my goddamned feelings."  
"Whoa! What the hell did you do?" Ruby rose both her hands in the air defensively as she headed back over to her friends. "What's up, blondie?"

"You guys! You're just constantly teasing me about having a crush on my teacher and you just won't stop! I feel like shit when you keep going…"

"Look, girl, we don't mean any harm." Ruby donned the same frown as Belle. She took the stool next to Emma and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "You've never had a crush, or at least told us about it, before. We do this, you know? Tease each other when we have crushes."

"Yeah, but you just keep  _pushing_  me towards her like something's going to happen. It's not." Emma finally muttered, glaring coldly at the cocoa as if it were the enemy.

"We just thought this was what you wanted. We're supporting your efforts, Emma. I mean… I've never seen you so into someone before." Ruby continued, her voice light and sympathetic. "We can back off if that's what you want?"

"It'd be nice." Emma lay her head into her crossed arms.

"Are you still going to have lunch with her?" Belle asked softly.

It took Emma a moment to answer that question. She wasn't sure if she should, anymore. It was pointless. She initially had lunch with Ms. Mills because she wanted to get her chance. But now, she wasn't so sure. It was futile to try what she wanted and it was tiring the way her friends were so optimistic about it. This woman was twenty years older than herself and she clearly was not interested.

But on the other hand, Emma couldn't just leave Ms. Mills alone for lunch without a good reason. The two clicked in a way that was right and didn't make anything uncomfortable. The English teacher would make a good friend, or what was considered a friend between a student and a teacher. So she answered honestly.

"Yes."  
"You are?" Ruby raised her brows. She must have been expecting Emma to say no.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. I can't just leave her alone for lunch. That's mean. Anyways, she's still pretty neat, even if I can't get further."

"Have you given up so soon?" Belle asked quietly.

Then Emma stared at her.  
"I don't know." she answered honestly, and yeah, she didn't know. She could still try, but for now, that wouldn't be her main goal. She would just spend time with Ms. Mills and be the person that she would talk to. It would be nice, she told herself.

"Ruby! Get your ass back to work and stop gossiping!" Granny shouted from across the diner upon spotting her granddaughter.

"Give me a sec!" Ruby whined and turned back to Emma as she slipped from the seat. A hand found its way on her back. "Don't give up," she whispered before heading off to resume her work.

"I'd drink to that." Emma playfully lifted her mug, bumping it with Belle's glass before downing the lukewarm cocoa. Her phone buzzed just as she set the mug down, causing her to groan and pull it out.

"It's Mary Margaret. I have to go."

"Oh, alright." Belle nodded and wrapped an arm around her friend. "Talk to you later?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded and paid for her drink before heading out of the diner, thumb roving over her phone as she replied back to her foster mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I received a question that I would like to address, since I cannot reply to it directly.
> 
> "Is there a reason she was listed as Mrs. Mills in the first chapter?"
> 
> It was a sort of misprint on Emma's schedule and it was to add to her anxiety about going to the class. I *might* address it later on in the story.


	5. Come Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I would like to thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it!
> 
> Fist off, I would like to address a few reviews that I have read about the art projects and how odd they might be. Yeah, I hadn't really thought about that at first. But after a couple pointed it out, I realized that it was weird that she would do do that and it would raise suspicion from the art teacher. SOOO, I have addressed this problem in one of the upcoming chapters (I believe it'll be the next one) so it doesn't seem so creepy-like. As for the portrait and the whole "that's a teacher" from her art teacher, eh, I'm using the excuse that Ms. Boyd doesn't exactly know who Ms. Mills is. She's new after all and it's not uncommon.
> 
> On that note, here's another chapter for you! I do hope you enjoy and please, tell me what you think!

The upcoming weekend was agonizing. For the first time in  _years_ , Emma Swan just wanted to get back to school. That goddamn brunette teacher was in her thoughts for the majority of the weekend and she couldn't wait to see that woman's smiling face in person instead of just staring at her cell phone for hours on end.

David had caught her staring at the small screen for an hour straight as they were sitting down to watch one of their favorite television programs on Friday night. Of course, Emma figured he would confront her once again about texting and staring at that screen for too long, and that she usually left that damn device in her bedroom during this time. She feared for a few minutes as he loomed over her, the cell screen now black. Oh god, she hoped he wouldn't take her phone. Because, fuck, she had Ms. Mills' picture on there. And there was no way to exit away from it. It was inevitable.

Belle would be laughing her ass off right now, she was sure, because Emma couldn't last more than five minutes after returning home to change her background screen. Sure, it was creepy and a bit stalkerish, but she just couldn't help it. That woman was so dazzling and perfect, and it just made her phone so  _priceless_. Anyways, it was only for the weekend so she didn't have to keep entering her pictures to try to find just this one.

And now David had her phone in his hand, but not once pressing the button to wake it up. Emma was silently screaming profanity in her head, hoping to whatever higher being that he won't try to snoop through her phone. Because as soon as he would turn it on, he would see the screen. And the screen was nothing but the smiling face of her creative writing teacher with those large, brown eyes, and those perfect, plump red lips. He would either ask who the hell that was or know immediately if he had become acquainted with her. This was a smaller town, after all. Mostly everyone knew each other. Mostly. So there would still be a slim chance he didn't know who that was, but goddamn, he would probably still wonder why the hell his teenage daughter had a picture of a middle-aged woman as her background.

He'd probably have a brain aneurysm over the fact and collapse on the floor in a twitching mess. Let's just hope he never dared to snoop through the device.

But he didn't. He just held it in his hand and gave her a stern look- or at least tried to. He never really mastered that yet.

"Emma, what have I told you about spending too much time on your phone? You could go blind from looking at this thing." he threatened, shaking Emma's phone in the air.

The blonde just watched his hand, glued to the black smartphone in it. "Sorry…" she mumbled. "Graham was texting and I haven't heard from him in a while. He'll be coming down in a couple months as soon as he buys that car."

And that wasn't entirely a lie. Because, yeah, she had been texting Graham, but that was an hour ago, and yes, he would be coming down in a couple of months. And then, as if to support her explanation, the phone buzzed.

"See?"

"Well," he sighed and gave in, handing the phone back to his daughter. "Just don't stay on it for too long. Mary Margaret will be back soon with dinner and you know how she doesn't like technology at the table."

"I know." Emma sighed, swiping her finger over the screen to check the message.

"I'm going to the bathroom." He announced, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

And that just made Emma look at him, her nose scrunched in distaste. "Thanks for the knowledge…"

David chuckled and waltzed towards the only other door in the apartment, leaving Emma alone to her phone once again. She finally took the time to see the message that Graham had sent her and nearly lost her shit.

Fucking Belle.

This was going to be a long, long weekend.

_"So, I talked to Belle. She seemed to have this little idea that you have the hots for the English teacher? ;)"_

* * *

By the time that Monday had finally rolled around, Emma could cry. She was dressed and groomed in record time that morning. Mary Margaret was surprised when she saw Emma climbing down the stairs a whole twenty minutes before she usually would.

"Emma! You're up early." The brunette smiled and set her mug down. "Would you like me to make you breakfast?"

"You don't have to," Emma shrugged, not missing the sad look in her foster-mother's eyes. She slumped her shoulders and took her seat at the counter. "Okay."

"Great! Does pancakes sound good?" she didn't give the blonde enough time to answer before she grabbed a frying pan from its spot and a box of pancake mix. "What's got you up so early?"

Emma watched the short-haired brunette bounce around the kitchen happily and it just made her heart expand in her chest. She never had a foster parent that wanted to cook breakfast for her, and so adamantly as well. Part of Emma felt that she didn't give enough appreciation to Mary Margaret. She felt she needed to show her more, though, to show how much she really did appreciate all of what the brunette did for her.

"No reason, really. I was gonna go pick up lunch from Ruby again." Emma smiled when her mother looked over to her.

Then she asked, "Don't you usually go later, though?"

"Yeah. I guess I…" Emma shrugged. She didn't want to tell the woman that she was just so excited to get the day started just to see Ms. Mills again. "I wanted breakfast, today. I know I haven't really been the best daughter, but I appreciate what you do for me." she said, and it was true, she genuinely meant those words.

The smile that it earned melted Emma's heart. She was glad she could make someone feel happy like that, and it was worth it for all that said person had done to make she, herself, happy. "Don't say that! You  _are_  a good daughter. You're just a teenager and I know they tend to forget to thank their parents."

"Yeah," she chuckled and licked her lips as the freshly made plate of pancakes had gotten sat in front of her. "Thanks, Mary Margaret." And with that, she shoved a forkful of the food into her mouth.

"You're welcome, Emma!" Mary Margaret smiled widely and moved forward to kiss her forehead. "I got to get to the school early to help a few students with their science projects." The brunette woman explained as she donned her coat and grabbed the purse hanging on the hook next to it.

Emma watched her and nodded, smiling slightly. "Oh, okay. Have a good day at work."

"I will, thank you. Enjoy your breakfast and had a good day at school. Love you!" She shouted, rushing out the door she managed to open.

"Love you, too!" Emma called out after her, and god, did it feel awkward. She never really said those words to someone else, especially not without feeling something for them. But it was so different and sort of natural with the Nolans. They were genuinely loving and caring towards her and she couldn't help but to develope feelings for her new parents. She was lucky, she concluded.

With a warm and fuzzy feeling, Emma quickly finished up her breakfast and departed from the loft as well. It had cooled down incredibly outside, leaving a gentle nip in the morning air. Emma hugged herself, pressing the hoodie's warm material closer against herself. At least it wasn't sweltering anymore, which had sucked trying to walk to school while swimming in sweat.

After coming to the agreement with Ms. Mills about eating lunch from then on in her room during fifth period, she had told Ruby to make her lunches everyday without a call beforehand. The brunette had asked if she would be crazy enough to have grilled cheese everyday, because, yeah, that could get tiring and too much would make her sick of the meal. So the waitress now had decided she would surprise Emma with a different lunch everyday.

Emma had pestered her friend into telling her what she planned on making, but Ruby was reluctant to tell and said it would be a surprise. She also took it upon herself to leave more notes at the bottom of the bag, or so she said she would do that. And, fuck, what the hell was she doing?

The blonde stopped by the diner, not at all surprised to see that Ruby wasn't outside yet. Pulling out her phone from the kangaroo pocket, she checked the time, then quickly scrolled through to message her friend.

_Here._

There was an immediate response, resulting in an eyeroll from Emma.

_Someone excited to see her girlfriend this morning?_

Despite her little breakdown at Granny's on Thursday, her two friends had still taken the liberty to tease her about the crush she had. She eventually grew on the teasing and merely rolled her eyes every time they deemed it necessary to taunt and tease.  
And,  _fuck_ , when they discovered that her background was now that picture, she could have sworn that Belle was going to hyperventilate. That reaction caused Emma to quickly return the background of her phone to its former black swan with a scowl on her face. Damn her friends.

"Here," the blonde jumped from her thoughts upon seeing Ruby in front of her with a brown paper bag extended in her hand. "Don't peek until lunch, 'kay? It's a surprise."

Then she winked and god only knows what she had planned.

"I won't." The blonde rolled her eyes. "Thanks again, Rubes, I appreciate it."

"Of course! You know I'd do anything for you, Em." Ruby gave her a wolfish grin before wrapping her lanky arms around Emma, pulling away seconds later. "Have a good day and don't get caught." she winked once again before turning to head back into the diner.

Emma just rolled her eyes as she stuffed the lunch bag into her backpack, then turned to lightly jog off towards the school.

* * *

"God, Emma, what is that smell?" Killian wrinkled his nose when Emma had opened her backpack for the first time in first period. She snorted and shrugged in response, pulling the notebook out that they needed for the questions on the board.

"Lunch," she simply stated, inhaling the scent that permeated from the bag. It was spicy and made her tastebuds water. What the hell did Ruby make?

That only made him quirk a brow. "Lunch? Are you eating peppers or something?"

"I don't know. Ruby made it." Emma shooed away the prodding finger. "She told me not to look at it."

"Why not?" He pouted. "And since when did Ruby make you lunch?"

She growled. "Stop being so goddamn nosey and let me do the assignment. I hate homework."

"Fine. But remember that our gym classes are merging together today for those fitness test things." Emma just wanted to wipe that smug look off his face with a dirty gym sock. Of course he would be so happy that, that would happen so he could bug her for another hour. If three hours in the same room with him weren't enough.

She looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Make it a habit to stay away from me."

"No promises," he bit.

"Emma! Killian! No talking during work time." Mr. Booth's voice shouted from across the room where he sat at his desk.  
The blonde shot the boy next to her a glare before hastily answering the questions. She normally tended to get any assignments done in class unless the teachers had made it a habit to hand it out five or less minutes before the bell. She absolutely hated those types of teachers and appreciated ones like Mr. Booth who would give them class work time, even if it were just ten minutes.

After first period had ended, Emma had headed off to Algebra, of course with Killian trailing behind her. Why he had to take the same classes as the blonde, she never knew. It was annoying sometimes, but she did enjoy having someone to talk to during class, even if he were just a pig half the time.

Usually in Mr. Spencer's class she got an hour away from him, which she would normally not mind, but she had to sit next to one of the more genial girls who ended up talking non-stop to her friend that sat next to her. And, god, did she wish Killian was next to her instead. At least she'd get some peace. Thank whatever higher being that they had a test today. She won't be going deaf in her right ear.

After taking the test in second period and spending the last ten minutes trying to find a way to muffle the shrill voice next to her, Emma nearly sprint to gym class. And, boy, by the time she was in the gym with the other students and Killian, she wanted it to be fourth period.  
It felt odd, but she already missed hearing Ms. Mills' deep voice. It was nice. It was the only one that she never tuned out. Fuck, she had it in deep and it had only been about two months that she had knowledge of that flawless woman's existence.

"Where are you at?" A male voice spoke beside Emma, causing her to slightly jump and glare at the disturbance.  
"The fuck, dude?"

"Jim called your name like thrice now." Killian smirked, prodding Emma's shoulder. "You're making this gaga face at the wall and we started to get scared."

"Shut up." Was all Emma said before marching off to where her gym teacher stood.

Forty minutes later, Emma was on her way to paradise. She walked through the halls with a smile on her face, not giving a single fuck if someone were to notice. Nothing could ruin her elated mood because she was less than two minutes away from seeing her favorite teacher and her stomach was doing little, pleasant flips.

And, oh boy, she was there before she knew it. When she looked around, she noticed that very few people were in the classroom. She wondered how many people decided to finally drop. But upon further inspection of the clock, she discovered it to be way before the time she would normally come in here. How the hell did she make it to the class so fast?

Emma shrugged that away and took her seat at the back of the classroom. Ms. Mills wasn't there. Where was she? Her coat was there. And so was the little paper cup she usually had on the corner of her desk.

_Good, she's here today._

One minute before the bell and the teacher still wasn't here. Where the hell was she? Now Emma's eyes were glued to the door, her stomach jumping every time the door opened, only to fall when it was just another one of her classmates. And, fuck, she was going to get sick if her stomach kept moving like one of those rides at an amusement park.

The bell then rang and, still, Ms. Mills was not to be found. Emma frowned and slumped in her seat, quietly watching the door as the other students took advantage of the lack of their superior and talked.

Then the door opened and in came… fuck.

_Oh fuck._

In stepped the principle, Mr. Gold.

And, fuck, what the hell happened to Ms. Mills? Her things were here. But she wasn't. And the principal was here.

_Oh God, something bad happened._

Mr. Gold limped over to the podium, a slight smirk on his face as the students immediately quieted upon his presence. He cleared his throat and widened his smile. She waited for the inevitable, but her frazzled nerves were wasted for nothing as he replied away her fears.

"Ms. Mills will not be here for this period. She is currently in a meeting. But do not fear," his voice just sounded so devious and she wondered why they let such a crocodile of a man become the principal of the school. He was all kinds of evil and Emma felt all kinds of bad juju when she was around him.

"I am going to take her place for the hour. She has a study guide for you, so I do suggest you take out a writing utensil. Shall we get started?"

Then it hit her, as the man passed out a paper for today's notes, that Ms. Mills might not make it to lunch.  
Damn.

But the meeting really shouldn't last  _that_  long. She could always stay in here despite her absence and wait until she did show up.

That worked.

She would do that, Emma thought as she filled in the space below each question. The blonde allowed her thoughts to veer away from her teacher so she could quickly complete the study guide. Hopefully that would take her to the end of the period. She didn't like sitting too long in a room with Mr. Gold in it. That man just creeped her the hell out.

And it did take the entire period, finishing up all twenty questions. Why the hell Ms. Mills found it funny to force her students to answer such questions with  _full_   _sentences_  was beyond her. And there were so many, too.

Emma looked up from her spot to the clock, one minute before the bell rang. Her eyes skated around the room to find that everyone else was either still working on the sheet or packed up and ready to go. Then her eyes landed on Mr. Gold sitting in Ms. Mills' desk, one of her pens between his fingers as he tapped it against the hard surface.  
She shuddered and shoved the study guide into her backpack which, upon opening it, allowed the aroma of her lunch hit her, causing her stomach growl. Oh, was she hungry and that smelled so  _good_. She was seconds away from finding out what the hell Ruby had packed for her after the bell had finally rung.

Emma stayed in her spot like she usually did as every other student filed out of the room so they could attend lunch. She reached down as the last student left to pull out the paper bag when she noticed that Mr. Gold was still there. And he was standing beside her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Isn't it time to go, Ms. Nolan?" He asked, arms crossing over his chest.

"I have to ask Ms. Mills a question." Emma easily lied, her large, green eyes on the principal's face.

Mr. Gold nodded with a sound that barely acknowledged what she said. Then, "She'll be a while. I recommend that you ask her in class tomorrow." And he continued to stare at her until she got up, sighing in defeat, and trudged to the door. There was no sense in arguing with this man.

"Have a good day, Ms. Nolan." he called out as he followed behind her.

Emma had stopped in the middle of the English hallway, her eyes on the man as he limped towards the opposite direction, no doubt to his office. He locked the door so the blonde was forced to sit outside, her back against the door.

Goddamn that man. Now she had to get a sore ass from this hard ground as she waited.

And waited.

It felt like it had been hours, when in reality, it had really only been about twenty minutes. Ms. Mills had finally shown up, her pumps clicking on the ground as she walked towards the classroom. Then she stopped in front of Emma, and  _oh god_ , those legs were so long and deliciously tan.

_Don't stare. Don't stare. Don't stare._

She kept repeating in her mind, trying to pry her eyes away from the skin that hadn't been covered by that skirt of hers. Green doe eyes met surprised brown, and she smiled so sheepishly she must have looked like a damned schoolgirl.

_Oh, wait._

"You waited for me?" Ms. Mills finally asked, her voice slightly scratchy.

Emma nodded and hoisted herself from the ground so she could move out of the way. "Yeah. Mr. Gold told me to leave and he locked the door."

Once the door was open, she followed the brunette inside, her backpack slung over one shoulder. She instinctively went to her usual desk and moved the chair to sit next to Ms. Mills' as soon as she sat. Then she took her own seat, finally removing the paper bag from her pack.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" There was a hint of worry in that sexy voice of hers and that made Emma's heart drop.

"No, of course not." she shook her head. "I figured you wouldn't want me to, so I just said I needed to ask you a question."

"Thank you." Relief flooded over the teacher's visage. "I don't think he'd really allow us to eat lunch together. He would probably suspect something far more inappropriate and we can't have that."

"I understand." Emma nodded, and she did. If Mr. Gold really did suspect something that was far more mature than a simple lunch, Ms. Mills could ultimately lose her job. It was risky as it was just eating lunch with her in the classroom, but the brunette never seemed to mind. Emma knew that she enjoyed her company and she certainly hoped that this would continue.

"Good." Ms. Mills smiled and it made Emma's heart flutter. "Did you bring lunch?"

"Yeah! Ruby made something different. I don't even know what it is…" she stated, opening the bag with a dubious smile.

"It smells divine." Regina commented, inhaling deeply, and oh god that just made her chest strain against the tight jacket that she wore.

Emma took all her might to peel her eyes away from the bits of exposed cleavage and brought out a white, styrofoam container. Then followed another. The blonde quickly opened the top one to reveal…

"Lasagna?" Emma breathed incredulously. "What the hell, Rubes?"

Ms. Mills chuckled. "Well, she certainly outdone herself this time."

Emma scowled slightly at the container before peering into the bag, her eyes immediately finding the infamous note.

_Your girlfriend loves lasagna. Give her the labeled one. Trust me. ;)_

Moving the top takeout box to take a look at the bottom one, she hoped to find whatever the label was. And there it was, no doubt, a big heart on the top of it.

"Fuck you, Ruby." She thoughtlessly crumbled the bag up and tossed it into the garbage bin next to the teacher's desk. The actions caused Ms. Mills' brows to raise.

"Sorry," she sheepishly said, pushing the labelled container over to Ms. Mills who, yet again, raised her brows.

"She said to give you this one. I don't know…"

And then she opened it. There was another piece of lasagna in there, and it looked exactly the same as Emma's. What the hell, Ruby?

Then a fork was taken to the square as Ms. Mills began to dig in. The slight groan of surprise that slipped from her lips was panty-wetting. Oh, god, that did funny things to Emma.

"What is it?" she quickly asked, trying to ignore the blush that would no doubt be noticeable to the English teacher.

Regina grinned and showed her the lasagna square. "It has pepper flakes in it. That's just how I like it. She must have remembered."

"Did she now?" Emma grit as she stabbed her own piece a little too violently. She wished she had knew that Ms. Mills liked lasagna. She wished she knew she liked spicy things. That damn salad never told her anything. Stupid salads.

Then she spoke, and all bad thoughts about mauling Ruby dissipated, "How was your day, Emma?"

"It was quite boring. And annoying. Killian was being his usual perverted self again during gym." she muttered, and yeah, he was. He kept asking Emma how it was being in a locker room with all of those girls getting undressed around her. Emma said it was hard, and she hadn't really meant to, which had made Killian laugh unexpectedly and drag the attention of every classmate to the two. Oh, god, that was so embarrassing. At least she didn't have to come out to him anymore, and hopefully, he would stop trailing around like a puppy after her. That was if he actually took her seriously. The way that he laughed and just brushed it off didn't really tell Emma much.

"Killian Jones?" Ms. Mills asked softly, her head tilted.

Emma nodded, but then froze. Oh  _yeah._  Killian was the one that had touched her ass, or so he said. And her world just came crashing down around her.

"I'm sorry for what he did to you." she blurted.

That earned an eyebrow raise.

"He told me he touched your butt or something and you sent him to detention."

" _Oh_." Then she was laughing. "He never did that, but he tells everyone he did. He actually touched a  _boat_ , but he was mocking the word from that Disney film. I do suppose it would be like him to go around gloating that he touched 'the' butt."

"Oh."  _Fuck_. Emma had totally misinterpreted what he had said. But then he just readily agreed that he had sexually harassed her. "Goddamn him. That stupid liar. He shouldn't be staring at your ass. No one should be."

And that happened.

Those words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Because that was the second half of the little argument she had with him. He virtually said he had stared at her ass and that just angered Emma to no end.

"I…" And Ms. Mills was left speechless, because she didn't know how to respond to that.

"Sorry. I-I mean… He was saying that and… I think he misinterpreted what I had said previously and… Jesus. Shut me up." Emma slunk her head onto the desk. "I need music."

"M-Music?" Ms. Mills had finally been able to sputter, even though she wanted to ask more questions about the previous topic. Clearly Emma was too embarrassed to further that and she nodded.

"Mind if I play some while we eat?" she asked politely, pulling her phone out and setting it on the desk. Ms. Mills shook her head, in which Emma immediately woke her phone up to go to the music player. Boy, was she glad that she had changed her background back to the swan or she would be so  _fucked_  right now.

"Do you like Marilyn Manson?" Emma asked, scrolling through the media list, she had paused on a title.

"I don't believe I know who that is." The teacher shook her head as the blonde pressed play on the song.

"You shall soon know, Ms. Mills." Emma smirked and leaned back in her chair, consuming the cold lasagna.

 _Rock Is Dead_  played through the otherwise quiet room now, the volume rather low. And Ms. Mills just stared at the cellular device.

"Do you not like it?"

"Oh, no. I've just… It's nice." she finally said, a tight smile on her lips. "I need it after that meeting."

"What was that about, anyways? If you don't mind my asking..." The blonde asked curiously, hoping that it wouldn't be considered too snoopy. "I mean, it was random to have during a class period."

"Oh. That. Well, they were discussing how my classes are, since I have an entire dropped creative writing class. They decided to transfer Mr. Booth's original planning period's class over to me, which would be the class before yours. Also, they're trying to get me to be 'less intimidating.'"

"Less intimidating?" Emma snorted. "You're not intimidating at all."

That caused Ms. Mills to blink. "You don't think so?"

"No, of course not! They're just scared that they won't pass your class because of the rumors. I mean, I've got an A in this class, so I don't know what they're worried about." she shrugged. "Mr. Booth has some pretty smart students, usually."

She smiled. It was a soft, tentative one, but she smiled.

"I'll just have to ease up a bit on my grading scale, I suppose…" Ms. Mills sighed. "I've been doing this for over ten years and just now they decide to change my methods. It'll be difficult."

Emma smiled. "You'll do great. I'll give you free advertising if you want. Tell 'em that you're a pretty cool teacher, but everyone else's 'bad' grades were getting in the way."

"You'd do that?"

"Mhm!" Emma nodded. "I wish I could have you as a teacher next semester, too. I mean, this sucks… only one semester. Your's is the only class that I don't fall asleep in."

"How flattering." Regina smiled and chuckled. "I am certainly glad that you think so."

The blonde shrugged and grinned in return. "And you're the only one that I find inviting enough to eat lunch with. I don't know why everyone finds you so intimidating. Look at Mr. Spencer. Now  _he's_  intimidating."

"Now, that's my colleague." The brunette chuckled anyways.

"Sorry," Emma laughed as well. She had to learn to use a filter around Ms. Mills. She kept forgetting that she was talking to her teacher and not just some friend. It was so weird, but she also suspected that Regina had felt the same while talking to her. Sometimes it was just so easy to open up to a person.

With a soft and content sigh, she leaned back against her chair once again. Then the inevitable came. The bell rang.

"Shit- aki mushrooms." Emma popped out of her seat, quickly gathering the trash, only to be stopped by an olive hand.  
"I'll get it. You go. I know how far your government class is." Then she flashed this reassuring smile that had Emma quickly shove her phone into her pocket and grab her bag so she could leave.

"Thanks." she mewled, speed-walking towards the door.

"Have a good day, Emma, and thank you for lunch." She heard a husky voice call out after her. All the blonde could do was reply with " _mhm_ " which had left her unsure whether or not the teacher had heard it.

Emma reached the government classroom just in time to hear the announcement about a test. And,  _fuck_ , she didn't know that they had a test. She had forgotten over the weekend and her impatience to see Ms. Mills again. That means she'd just have to wing it and probably get a low grade. Dammit, perhaps she should start paying attention in class.

It wasn't until art class, about an hour later, that Belle spoke to Emma. Or, should she say, ask her that question.

"How was the lasagna?"

"You knew?" Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette next to her, a scowl on her face. Because, of course she would know. It seems that she'd been hanging out with Ruby more often than not anymore.

The usually quiet girl nodded in response to the question, her eyes focused on a the papers in front of her.

"So, how was it?" she repeated.

"Good-"

"Did Ms. Mills like her special slice?" And there was a knowing twinkle in her eyes.

 _Fuck_.

"Why did you two do that?"

"What?"

"The special piece and the heart and shit?"

"Because we know you nearly choked the last time you tried the spicy kind and every time Ms. Mills comes into the diner, she orders that." Belle shrugged as if it were simple.

"But why the heart?"

She didn't answer that question and Emma just knew why. Goddamn them two.

"I thought I told you to not play matchmaker?"

"We aren't. It was just a label."

"It was a  _heart_."

"So? Did she say anything?"

"No. But that does-"

"Then you're fine. Leave it alone."  
"You two are so fucking annoying." Emma rolled her eyes, but allowed a playful smile on her lips.

"We know." Belle chuckled. "Did she like it?"

"Yeah. You know what she did?"

"What?"

Just thinking about that noise that Ms. Mills had made upon tasting the lasagna caused her to blush. She would never forget it. She suddenly chickened out and shook her head, deciding not to tell Belle of it. "Nothing. Never mind..."

"Oh, come on!"

"Just… never mind. Leave it alone."

"My God, Em, you're blushing!"  
"Shhhh!" Emma shrunk against her chair and poked at the paper with an ebony pencil.

"Sorry." But she really wasn't.

"Whatever." Emma rolled her eyes, staring at the paper in front of her. "I thought we were drawing faces. What the fuck is this shit?" She pointed to the paper between her and Belle that had a picture of a boy sitting in a chair on it.

"We're doing scaling and proportions. It's supposed to help with the project." Belle shrugged and held up a piece of paper. "Hadn't you been paying attention?"  
"Well, yes… No?"  
"Thought so." Belle chuckled. "Now, shut up. We need to get this done. You're already behind."

"Yeah, yeah…" Emma sighed grudgingly and began to do the assignment.


	6. Lasagna Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful comments! I hope you enjoy this new chapter and, please, tell me what you think! I enjoy reading what you have to say, and it helps me more than you would know.
> 
> The beginning of it might not really make sense. I was trying to find the best way to transition and I had a few other things planned while doing it. But I've edited it to the best of my abilities and I do hope that it makes sense. And I really hope that the entire story would makes sense. I've been quite tired lately while writing and, let me tell you, things can get crazy. Just. Rainbows. Remember that.

After a while, lunches with Ms. Mills had become regular. Emma always stayed after class and the brunette never protested. Most of their lunches were filled with idle conversations, while some were just sat in companionable silence. At times, the two would get into deeper conversations, and Emma had suspected that Regina was more comfortable with her by now.

It was rare when the conversations evolved around the teacher herself, since she had usually been the one to ask Emma questions regarding her future. But as the weeks progressed, the blonde teen was able to get Ms. Mills to open up. And it was nice. She felt…  _trusted_.

During one of the lunch hours, it was another Monday and the blonde had decided to dub it as 'lasagna day', Emma had brought out another container of the meal. Ruby must have made it a Monday thing and that didn't really bother Emma any, since the look of joy on Ms. Mills' face was enough to make up for the meal she wasn't so fond of. And of course, the noises she made upon tasting the spicy dish.

The murmur of satisfaction that rumbled in the brunette's voice had the blonde so distracted that she hadn't heard the question Regina had asked after finishing her swallow of food.

"I-I didn't quite catch that. May you please repeat the question?" Emma's cheeks burned a deep shade of pink and she was quite sure it was noticeable. If Regina  _had_  noticed, she didn't say anything.

The words that left Emma's lips made Ms. Mills chuckle. "I asked if you had any plans after high school. Do you plan on leaving Storybrooke?"

"Oh, yeah," Emma blinked and sat straight in her seat, her plastic fork absentmindedly poking at the half-eaten lasagna square.

"Oh?" The brunette tilted her head with interest.

Emma just looked at her with a blink, marveling in the way that Ms. Mills had given her her undivided attention. She liked that. Usually other people acted so disinterested in what she had to say, with an exception of a select few.

"Where do you plan on going?"

"Sorry, I wasn't… My mind isn't here today." Emma mumbled sheepishly, playing with the end of her ponytail. "I want to go to Boston. Graham and I decided to join the police force up there together. I mean, of course I ought to go to college and I hope I get accepted into the one Graham's at." she babbled mindlessly.

"Pardon me, but who's Graham?" Ms. Mills asked politely, pushing her thick, black-framed glasses up.

"Oh, Graham. He's my gaming buddy. I think we hit it off 'cause he wanted to join the police force, too. He doesn't like the bastards that get away with shit, either, and he wants to help get those guys locked up." The blonde elaborated. She couldn't help but to study her teacher's face. She saw  _something_  flicker through those muddy orbs of hers, but Emma didn't quite catch it. "He's actually supposed to be coming down here in a couple of months to tell me all about it. Well… he's supposed to visit all of us, but I'm gonna make him tell me about what it's like up there and what his apartment's like. I'm gonna have to crash there for a bit, I know for sure."

"I see," Ms. Mills smiled. "I do wish you good luck and I hope that you do get accepted."

"Thanks." She gave her a sheepish smile, her fingers working at the seam of her jeans.

"I'm quite sure that it would be nice if you were able to go to the same school as your boyfriend. He is your boyfriend, correct?" Regina could feel her heart sink at the idea of Emma having a boyfriend. And that was really quite strange for her. Of course, she had felt like this before, it wasn't foreign. It was something that of jealousy. She had had such feelings so many times throughout her years. But feeling it  _now_? That was just absurd. Emma was her student.  _Her student_. And she wasn't at all sure why she had these strange feelings upon her assumption. It wasn't right and it just confused the hell out of Regina. She tried her best to mask the emotion flitting behind her eyes. But she couldn't get rid of that rock in her stomach. It was weighing her down and nearly made the brunette sick.

Emma tilted her head, closely eyeing the new look on the older woman's face. She still couldn't guess what it was. The teacher was masked into a poker face. But what she had said just made the blonde laugh.

And laugh she did. It was a funny thing that she would automatically assume that Graham was her boyfriend. Emma did suppose that it must have sounded like that upon talking about him. She didn't exactly make it clear that he was just a friend.

Oh, little did Ms. Mills know about her.

"No, no he isn't." The blonde chuckled, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "He's like a brother to me, actually."  _And I'm totally gay, so no, he isn't my boyfriend,_  she added silently.

"Oh! I do apologize for assuming." The corner of the teacher's mouth slightly turned upwards, her entire face filled with something that of mortification.

"It's alright," she shrugged nonchalantly, but wore a slightly smug smile. "Anything else you wanna know, I guess?"

"Yes. Tell me, please, what made you decide that you want to join the police force? I'm intrigued to learn."

Emma bit her lip. Really, she didn't want to answer that question. At least not yet. She wasn't exactly comfortable with sharing this sort of information with her teacher just yet. Sure, she had talked to her about things before, and yeah, she wrote stories that were vaguely based upon her life. But  _voicing_  these things were a little too painful for the blonde and she'd really rather not want to lose her cool in front of her favorite teacher.

So she decided to dance around the complete truth and stick with a more general explanation.

"Like I had said before, I wanna take those bastards off the street, the ones that can just get away with stuff. Like,  _really_  bad stuff. There are all kinds of sickos still running around because people don't have enough evidence pinned on them to throw their asses in jail and its ridiculous. I want to squeeze the information out of those bastards and, after I'd be through with them, they'd want me to throw their asses in jail. People like… Never mind." she shrugged and leaned back against her chair once again, slightly slumping into it.

"I understand…" And Ms. Mills looked like she really  _did_  understand, because she had that thoughtful expression on her face, that one where she's just analyzing what Emma had just said. Emma sometimes caught the brunette making that face when other staff members were talking to her, although, she also had a bit of a bored expression on then. Now... Right now, it was nothing but pure, unadulterated fascination.

"Also, I think it'd be pretty cool to carry a gun around." The blonde flashed a cheeky smirk, trying to lighten the mood that had somehow darkened.

"Yes. I suppose that would be nice." Ms. Mills smiled. "So, you said that you would be going to Boston? Is your friend going to take you or your parents?"

"Oh, neither." The blonde shrugged, then grinned. "Mary Margaret said if I got all A's this year, she'd give me her old Bug. I'll be taking that and, then, I won't be stuck wherever I'm at all the time."

"That's nice of her." She grinned. "How are your grades so far, if you don't mind my asking?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't mind. And, uh… I guess I'm doing pretty good. But I think I'm falling a bit behind in gov. Those tests get me."

"Oh? Well, if you do need help with your government class, I would be more than happy to help. That was one of my favorite subjects- aside from English and literature." Ms. Mills offered, finishing up her lunch with a few swift bites.

"Really? I'd appreciate it. Thanks." The blonde's face instantly lit up. She had been quite worried about her grade in that class. It was a pretty easy course, but it was poorly taught and the information didn't stick. She knew only half the answers on the test and had to guess on the others.

"It's really no problem, dear."

"You should tell me why you decided to become a teacher." Emma suddenly said, once again sitting up to meet the teacher's chocolate gaze. "Since I told you my reason."

"Oh," she looked surprised by the demand, her eyes widening ever so slightly. When she spoke, there was no hesitance to her voice. Emma could tell that she really did have a strong passion for her job. And that just made it so much worse that those assholes treat her the way they do.

"I've always loved children. I know that you guys aren't exactly children, per say, but I… enjoy giving knowledge to others. I've always had a passion towards writing and the language arts as a whole. I had always been quite confused on what career I wanted to pursue. There are so many that evolve around the creative gift of writing and I wanted to contribute to  _something_." she removed her glasses and cleared off a smudge before setting them aside. She smiled rather sadly now, even though Emma knew she tried to hide it. "I wanted to become a writer. And if that hadn't worked out so well, I figured that perhaps getting a job in journalism would suit me better. But…"

"What happened?" Emma frowned as her teacher had trailed off.

Regina sighed and frowned, her voice low and slightly gruff. "It… didn't work out. I tried, but everything that I sent in got denied. After a while, I accepted defeat and decided to continue school to become a schoolteacher. It was my second choice, after all. My… mother had insisted that I needn't waste my time with the writing business, and I guess she was right. It didn't end well, and now, I don't really mind. I do quite enjoy my job. I enjoy… moments like this. I like the way some students are inclined to make art for me. Every aspect is unique and makes me love my job more… But, recently, everything had gone downhill, as you can see." Ms. Mills played with the thin, leather watch on her wrist, lightly biting her lip as she had done so. "By the way, I had never asked, Emma… What did your art teacher say about your projects for me?" Her gaze glanced over to the artwork that Emma had made her a couple of weeks ago. It was still tacked proudly to the board.

Emma shrugged. "She didn't see that one. Hadn't you wondered how I brought it to you the next day? Oh… Wait… I suppose that you didn't know that we were assigned the project the day before."

"She didn't see it?" she looked slightly worried.

"Nope! We had to draw  _our_  names, and anyways, I would have figured that it would be weird to hand that in. No offense or anything…" Emma implored, a soft blush on her cheeks. "It was hard, because I had Belle sniffing down my neck while I tried to do it. So I took it home to finish  _that_  one for you."

"I see." Ms. Mills flashed her a sweet smile. "I really do appreciate that you would do that for me."

"Of course!" Emma grinned as well.

"Although, if you didn't want her to know you were doing projects on me, why use me as your subject?" She now tilted her head with furrowed brows. "Wouldn't she know, then?"

"She's pretty new." The blonde shrugged. "She might not know who you are. You're in different departments, after all, and this school is larger than I thought. I know some teachers that have no clue other teachers even exist. I mean, do  _you_  know every teacher?"

"No, I suppose not…" The English teacher looked thoughtful.

The teen nodded to her teacher. "She might think you're an actress or something. I mean, you're super pretty."

And, shit, she just said that.  
Ms. Mills looked at her with wide eyes, surprise evident on her features. Then something flickered through her eyes, but it was gone so fast, Emma wasn't able to delegate her thoughts.

"I mean… You know… I'm sure you know that you're pretty." She shrugged, trying to play it off cool, but Emma totally knew that she wasn't kidding herself. She fucked up.

"Thank you…" The brunette pursed her lips slightly together, chocolate orbs fixed on her wristwatch once again before she spoke. "You should start getting ready. The bell is about to ring."

"Thanks…" Emma said quietly, feeling embarrassed as hell about what she had just said. Oh, god, now Ms. Mills probably thought of her strangely.

"I don't want you to be late to your favorite class." The brunette smirked playfully and Emma's heart leapt. Maybe she didn't screw up as much as she thought, because Ms. Mills seemed to be in the joking mood about Government class, which was one of Emma's least favorites.

"No, I mean… Thanks for telling me that. What you said, earlier." She offered her a smile as she stood, gathering the trash items once again. "And, thanks for that, too."

"Of course, dear," she smiled lightly, a look of gratitude etched on her features that Emma didn't miss. It always made the blonde's heart sink when she saw those looks on her teacher's face. It just reminded her how  _lonely_  she must be. She wasn't entirely sure if it was by choice or not, but she  _did_  know that Ms. Mills never talked so deeply with someone else before, and she seemed to appreciate it. It's always good to get something off your chest.

Emma bent to grab her backpack, slinging it over her right shoulder. "And, hey… I… I enjoy these moments, too. Talking with you. It's nice. It's kinda freeing. Even if I spew vocal diarrhea all over the place." she whispered softly before turning towards the door, her feet lightly thumping on the ground as she left.

"Have a good day, dear." She could practically  _hear_  Ms. Mills' smile through her words. She didn't even need to look behind her, but she did anyways, and  _holy shit_. The brunette wore one of the largest grins that she had ever seen her put on. Her perfect white teeth peeked through her plump, red lips and it reached her eyes, and fuck, Emma thought her eyes would be engulfed by cheek if she were to grin any wider.

"You too, Ms. Mills. And thank you, again. I appreciate it."

"Any time, Emma."

Then she left, too, with a large smile on her face.

* * *

"What's got you all smiley today?" Ruby had asked her blonde friend as she replaced Emma's empty mug with a fresh refill of cinnamon cocoa.

Emma hadn't stopped smiling since her lunch with Ms. Mills today. She hadn't a clue why, but it just made her so happy that the brunette teacher had actually spoken about herself today. Something personal. And the way she smiled just before the blonde left made her heart melt.

But, of course, she wasn't going to divulge such information to her nosey friends. They were always on a constant tease-session with her every time she did spill something.

"Nothing," she hummed, taking a sip of her cocoa. And,  _oh_ , that was good.

"Nothing my ass, Emma. You  _never_  smile  _that_  much. And Belle said that you've been walking around with that big-ass grin on your face for the past three hours."

Emma huffed and glared at her other friend who shot her an apologetic look. No matter how hard she tried and how hard she begged for Belle to not tell Ruby a thing, she always did. Even if it were indirectly like this. Perhaps she should have just gone home directly after seventh period. But Belle had insisted she come down to the diner with her to talk with Ruby while she was on her break.

That was about two hours ago.  
She had messaged Mary Margaret that she would be out for a while with her friends, and would probably miss dinner since they both had insisted that she  _must_  stay. She really didn't understand those two sometimes. They seemed to always have  _something_  up their sleeves.

And now, here she was, waiting. It was past five now. She'd surely be missing dinner. Hopefully Ruby planned on buying her a goddamned meal.

Plus, they kept pestering her about how full of smiles she was. She tried to hard to just rid herself of the smile spread across her lips, trying to think of dead things or the way her friends were frustrating the hell out of her. But, to no avail, her mind always wound up on Ms. Mills once again and that grin that she had given her before Emma's departure.

"Come on, Em!" Ruby playfully whined, flicking at her friend's golden mane. "You never tell us  _anything_  anymore!"

"Yeah," Belle finally piped up, nodding with the waitress. "You don't even tell me what you ate for lunch."

"That's because you already know." Emma quirked a brow at her friend. And, yeah, that was true She  _did_  know because she was usually with Ruby in the mornings anymore.

"But, still, Em. You gotta share some juicy stuff with us. We're your best friends." The brunette waitress bumped her shoulder against Emma's own. "You've, like, clammed up on us every time we speak of  _her_. Did something go… wrong?"

"No." Emma was willing to divulge that much.

Both Belle and Ruby raised their brows, then glanced at each other before the latter spoke.

"Did you two… y'know? Kiss?"  
And that sent Emma's cheeks aflame. She hid herself in her cocoa, trying her best to ignore her friends' stares. Really, she didn't have anything to hide nor be embarrassed about. She never kissed her teacher. But, yet, she was acting like some fruity teenager who had been caught macking on their boyfriend.

"Oh my god." Ruby's eyes widened, her jaw slack. "You did, didn't you? You sly bitch!" Then her elbow was jabbing into Emma's ribs uncomfortably. Apparently her silence was taken as a yes.

"Way to go, Ems!" Belle whooped and high fived the waitress over Emma's slumped form.

"No," the blonde mumbled.

"No?" Then they silenced, staring at Emma incredulously.

"Seriously? Like,  _seriously_ , seriously? You're telling me that you  _didn't_  liplock with the hottie English teacher?" That was Ruby. Emma lifted her head and shook it quietly.

"No. And I don't understand why you'd think that I would. This is strictly a platonic thing." The blonde shrugged, even though her shoulders felt heavy. Really, she wished it were far from platonic, but, a girl could only dream. It would never happen, she told herself. She was just chasing after an empty dream.

"Aren't you using fancy language?" Ruby mocked, smirking down at her friend, but that had only earned her a glare. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just figured…"  
"There's really no 'just figuring' with this. And… Look, I gotta go." Emma sighed, sliding out of her stool. "I've got to get this stupid government homework done and I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I need internet."

She could see Ruby look over to Belle, her eyes and head jerking as if she were gesturing to something. And, of course, she was.

"No, no!" Belle hopped up and blocked Emma's path, earning her a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"You have to stay." The brunette pleaded, grabbing Emma's arm. "Come on. Just a little while more, okay?"

"Why? I don't see the point in this and I'm hungry." Emma grumbled, but obliged. Might as well play along with whatever little game that they had planned.

She looked up at Ruby as if questioning her about what the hell was going on, but as soon as she did, the waitress fumbled in her spot.

"I gotta go waitress…" and she scuttled off to the table by the left window in the front of the diner.

"I don't understand what you guys are doing." Emma drifted her gaze to Belle who had now remained oddly quiet. She sit on the stool next to the blonde, playing with the hem of her dress. She looked so awkward. Whatever Ruby had run off to do must have been  _the thing_  that they were keeping her here for. Thank god. After seeing or getting whatever the hell it was, she could go home. She loved her friends dearly, but they bugged the hell out of her sometimes.

"Just wait." Was the petite brunette's reply.

"Wait. That's all I've been-"

"Emma!" Ruby's voice rang behind her. When the blonde turned to face the lanky waitress, she was met with a wolfish grin. One that held a secret. "Go to the table over there," she pointed past Emma to the table where she had just been at. The blonde quirked a brow and looked at the inhabitant. She couldn't see their face since a large newspaper had been hiding it. What the hell?

"Who is that? Why the hell do I want to go to a stranger?"

"Not a stranger, Em!" Ruby gave the blonde a gentle push out of her seat. "Go on. Bring your bag and thank me later."

When Emma turned around, Ruby was headed across the diner to proceed working. Belle now left her stool and flashed Emma a knowing smile before heading towards the exit.

What the hell did these two have planned? Some sort of blind date? She furrowed her brows and headed over to the occupied table. For some reason, she felt nervous. Her palms were slightly sweaty and her hands shaky. Why the hell was she nervous?  
"Uh… excuse me. Is this seat taken?" She spoke, her voice giving her away.

"No, it's-..." The person dropped the newspaper from their face to reveal a surprised visage. "Emma!"

"Ms. Mills? What are you doing here?" The blonde blinked. Goddamn those two! How the hell did they even get the brunette teacher here in the first place?

She caught sight of Ruby and gave her her best glare.

"I usually eat dinner here every Monday night around this time." The teacher answered, removing her glasses to sit next to the newspaper. "What about you?"

"O-oh…" Emma bit her lip and scuffed a shoe at the ground. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I was hanging out with my friends. Remember how I told you Ruby was a waitress here?"

"Oh, yes. That I do." Ms. Mills gave her a warm smile. "Oh! Where are my manners? Why don't you take a seat?" She gestured towards the spot across from her, but Emma hesitated.

"I don't want to disturb your dinner."

"It's quite alright, dear. I insist." The teacher offered her a reassuring smile.

"If you're sure…" Then Emma took the spot, sitting stiffly with her backpack on her thighs. "This feels weird."

"I'm sorry. I know I'm not the most genial person to talk to."

"No. It's not that. It's… I don't know." Emma shrugged, nibbling anxiously on her lower lip. "I should… I should probably go. I've got homework due tomorrow."

"Oh," and Emma swore she could see the wounded expression that crossed the brunette's features. But it was gone as fast as it had come.

"I can stay a while longer, I… guess." Emma blushed slightly. "If you don't mind?"

"No, of course not!"

"Hey, do you mind if I do my homework here, or…?"

"You can if you wish." The teacher shrugged, not seeming to mind. She gazed up to Ruby who had set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. She murmured a thank you and took a sip just as the waitress gave Emma another cinnamon cocoa, winking as she did so.

"You're dead, Ruby." Emma managed to mutter into her friend's ear before she sauntered off. Oh, she would totally be dead for doing this to her. Why the hell did she want to watch Emma just  _suffer_?

"What do you have?"  
"Excuse me?" Emma glanced up after pulling her notebook from the pack.

"For homework, I mean." Ms. Mills chuckled and reached down to pick her glasses back up. Slowly, she slipped them on, chocolate orbs on the papers in front of the blonde. "Perhaps I could assist you."

"I have government. But, it's fine. I can use the internet."

"Isn't that called cheating, Emma?" The brunette quirked one of her perfectly plucked brows. "Come on. Let me see it."

Emma looked at the woman across from her for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh and handed over her homework. Ms. Mills gently plucked it from her hand and read over it with a thoughtful expression. Emma couldn't help but to stare at her as she had done so. Holy hell. Her eyes were like goddamn magnets towards this woman.

She continued to watch curiously, enjoying the way the heat from her cocoa permeated through the cup and warmed her hands as she held the mug close. Ms. Mills looked as if she were so intrigued by what that stupid little paper said, or so she thought, since her eyes seemed to absorb the entire thing. Her lower lip disappeared into her mouth, Emma noticed, biting her own. The brunette could pull off the most intriguing of looks. The blonde was pretty sure that Regina Mills was the only woman on earth that could look sexy while reading a teenager's government homework.

Yup. She was certain, Emma thought as she took a long, refreshing sip of cocoa. Her eyes wandered down from the teacher's face to…  _Sweet mother of god_. The brunette's blood red, silk button up shirt had it's top few buttons undone, which exposed just enough of the older woman's cleavage to have Emma's mouth nearly watering. All things logical flew out the window.

She was dumbstruck and she couldn't peel her eyes away. Oh, God, help her now. Where was Ruby when you needed her?

"This seems pretty simple." Ms. Mills' husky voice broke the blonde from her temporary trance, which of course, caused her to nearly fall out of her seat and spill the cocoa all over her front.  
"Oh, shit!" Emma cried, setting the mug down to look down at her soiled jacket. "Oh great!  _Just great_."

"Oh, my. Emma, are you alright?" The English teacher was up immediately, grabbing napkins to help clean the messy liquid up. Ruby was over in no time, tsking at her friend with a dish towel.

"Really? You're just making my job much harder, Em."

"Oh, shut up, Ruby. It was  _your_  demon cocoa that spilled all over me."

" _Sure_." Ruby gave her a knowing smirk.

"I think we've got it all, Rubes." Emma raised her brows at her friend, handing her the dirtied dish towel. "Thank you."

"Mhm!" She grinned and leaned closer to Emma, her lips right next to the blonde's ear as she whispered. "The next time you decide to stare at her tits, make sure you aren't holding anything."

The waitress strutted off, leaving a flustered Emma behind. Dammit. Of course she'd been watching. That was just like her.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Ms. Mills asked, stuffing the napkins onto the table. Her eyes inspected the blonde.

"Yes, thank you."

"Your clothes are all ruined." She frowned slightly. "I suppose you must return home to clean them up."

"Eh, it's just my hoodie." The blonde shrugged and shucked the article of clothing off, leaving her in a thin, white tanktop. "See? All good."

"If you say so, dear." Ms. Mills licked her lips, turning to replace herself in her designated chair. "Now, as I was saying, Emma."

"Yes?" Emma had done the same, though she scoot to the edge of the chair with sharp, green eyes fixed on the brunette's flawless olive face. Damn whatever acne scars she had on her own. Her complexion was utter shit because of that and her nonstop need to pick at scabs.

"All of the answers to this are fairly easy. I assume you have paid attention, yes?" When there was hesitance in Emma's response, the teacher clucked her tongue. "Alright… Well, for this top section here. True or false. It's a fifty-fifty chance. Why don't you try to answer them to the best of your ability and I shall check the answers upon your completion?"

"Alright," the blonde nodded and retook her homework sheet. Digging a pencil out of her bag, she looked over the questions. True or false. Simple enough.

After several pencil taps and ten true or false questions later, Emma had finished, pushing the paper across the table for Ms. Mills to check over her work. She was pretty sure she got every single one of them wrong, and by the way the teacher had her brows scrunched together just proved it.

"Sorry I suck." she mumbled.

"You don't… suck, Emma." Whisky colored eyes met emerald. "You did much better than you give yourself credit for. You're a smart girl, Ms. Swan. Do not put yourself down." She slid the worksheet across the table towards Emma once again. "You got all of them right. I simply do not understand your worry."

"I haven't studied or anything." Emma's eyes were wide with disbelief. She got them all right? "Lucky guesses."

"Now, why don't you try to answer the multiple choice questions? It'll give you more of a challenge, but you should know that one of the questions is right. Eliminate ones that would not make sense towards the question itself and choose from there."

"That's what every teacher says." Emma tapped the butt of her pencil on the paper, eyes reading the first question over. And over. "You may say it's so simple, but it's far more difficult than it you think."

"I know it is, Emma. I know that sometimes you just don't know the answer. I was a teenager once, too." Ms. Mills quirked a brow, an amused smile captivating her lips. "Or had you forgotten that every adult was once young?"

"No, I haven't…" Emma whispered quietly. She looked down at the paper again, squinting at it before circling an answer.

Either it was the new boost of confidence or the way Ms. Mills' company had eased her, but Emma finished in no time with a proud smile. She slid the paper across the diner's table to her teacher.

"On what level of confidence do you feel with your work?" The brunette's deep voice asked, her brows raised over the thick-rimmed glasses.

"I'm feeling… pretty confident."

"Then let's see where this new found confidence has gotten you." Ms. Mills smiled softly, then proceeded to look over the circled answers on Emma's paper. And,  _oh god_ , the way her lips pursed told the blonde that she probably failed.

"I totally bombed it, didn't I?" The teen groaned, slumping helplessly in her seat. She didn't know half of the answers on that damned worksheet and she had guessed on most of them. So much for trying to pay attention to the notes in class. Mr. Glass had a voice that could put a hyper toddler to sleep in an instant. His words just went in one ear and out the other, nothing ever stuck. Worksheets, such as this, came few and far between. They were usually given out before an upcoming test to help them 'study' for it.

But Emma knew that wasn't exactly true. All teachers were required to have some sort of gradable content to enter into the database, which was more preferably an assignment. Of course, it was rather hard to geniusly finish such a task when most students hadn't quite gotten a grip on what they were learning. Now, Emma was pretty sure no one had an A in that class. And they called Ms. Mills a bad teacher.

"You only missed two, Emma. And that, out of ten, is not too bad." The brunette teacher propped her glasses back onto her nose and handed Emma back her paper.

"Well, having guessed on most of it, that's good. Right?"  
"Emma," Ms. Mills clucked. "You shouldn't have to  _guess_. You should  _know_."

"I can't  _know_  anything when I haven't  _learned_  it. I don't want to sound harsh or anything, and I know that's he's your colleague and all, but Mr. Glass kinda sucks at teaching."

"You don't think I know that?" And as fast as those words were out of the brunette's mouth, her jaw snapped shut.

Emma leaned forward in the diner's chair, her elbows pressing against the tabletop. "What do you mean?"

Ms. Mills looked as if she had deeply regretted ever opening her mouth and Emma was about to let it go, until the brunette looked around them before leaning forward, her voice a soft whisper.

"I am about to divulge information that no one, and I repeat  _no one_ , must know of this. Do you promise to not tell anyone?" There was a serious sharpness in her eyes that told the blonde that she wasn't playing around.  
"Y-yes. Of course, Ms. Mills. You can trust me. I won't tell  _anyone_." Emma promised, her ponytail bobbing as she nodded her head. "It's just between the two of us."

"Good," she reached across the table, her darker-toned hand contrasted against Emma's paler complexion as she gently took the other's hand in her own. Soon, the other followed, both grasping onto Emma's as chocolate met with emerald.

"Sydney- Mr. Glass, we went to college together. He was majoring in journalism and we had a few classes together. Remember when I had said that I wanted to become a writer? Although, my… mother insisted my major be in teaching." The teacher was slightly hesitant with her next words. "We met in class and he had developed this… infatuation. He became obsessed and would do  _anything_  for me. And, after realizing that I would be going into teaching, he decided to change direction and take classes evolving around such. I wasn't sure  _which_  type of teacher he had planned on becoming, but… well, soon enough, we graduated and I had been on my way back to Storybrooke. And he followed."

"And then became the government teacher?" Emma stared incredulously at her teacher. So, apparently the only reason why Mr. Glass decided to be a teacher was only for the fact that he had a crush,  _a goddamn crush_ , on Ms. Mills. No wonder why he never seemed enthused while teaching the class. He was forced to do something he didn't like because he was close to the one he thought he loved. What a sad, sad little man.

"Yes." Ms. Mills nodded, sighing shortly after before leaning back once again, her hand withdrawing from Emma's. "I really, probably, shouldn't have told you that, Emma. But I do trust that you will keep this information to yourself?"

"Of course," the blonde quickly obliged. She really had no desire to tell anyone of what Ms. Mills had told her. Well… it would be great gossip to share with her friends, but she had made a promise, and she intended to keep it. She was trying to gain Ms. Mills' trust, after all. Emma had to show the older woman how mature she could be. She felt years older than she really was. Perhaps that's what leading a tough life gifted.

The brunette teacher gave Emma a grateful smile, the corners of her mouth tilting slightly upwards, for only a few seconds before letting her facial expression drop. Emma saw the woman's eyes darken, a deep and slightly confused emotion eclipses her brown orbs. The blonde furrowed her brows, unable to determine why there was such a sudden change within the teacher.

"Are you okay, Ms. Mills?" Emma inquired, her head tilting to the side. "Do you want me to go?"

"No, dear, you're fine. I mean, unless you want to leave." And just as fast as it had come, the emotion and darkness dissipated from Ms. Mills' eyes, leaving her brown orbs to shine like melted chocolate.

"Yeah. I wanna stay for a bit. If you don't mind, I might grab something to eat."

"You haven't eaten, yet?"

"No. But I'm sure Ruby would be kind enough to get me something." The blonde teenager smirked and twisted her body to call out to her friend. The waitress, not busy at the moment, rushed over to the blonde with a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, girl, what's up?"

"You owe me food." She stated blatantly.

Ruby sneered at the look on the blonde's face, which spoke the words left unsaid. "Fine. One grilled cheese coming right up."

"Thank you." Emma managed her sweetest voice before turning around to play with her mug.

"And lasagna, Regina? With pepper flakes?"

"Just how I like it, dear." The teacher offered Ruby a polite smile before the waitress sauntered off to fulfil their orders. Emma, on the other hand, was seething.

How dare Ruby do that? And right in front of the blonde, too. She really must be jonesing to get a dose of Emma's fist. Unless she was doing it on purpose to spite her friend, and that made Emma even more angry.

"Are you alright, Emma?" The sweet and familiar voice that rang from those lips had immediately sated Emma's anger.

She looked up with large, doe-eyes, her head bobbing in reply to the question. She couldn't let her anger show, not to that sweet woman in front of her. Ms. Mills would be the very last person that could ever be a hair up her ass. That concerned and ever so caring face contradicted any horrendous thoughts about Ruby's joke and replaced them with little unicorns and rainbows instead.

"Rainbows."

_What._

_Did she really just say that?_

"Pardon?" The teacher's eyes were quite large now, the whites showing incredibly.

Fuck. Emma always feared something like that would happen. That's why she absolutely hated thinking when she should be talking as well, because something like  _this_  was bound to happen.

"S-sorry. I was just… thinking about rainbows for some odd reason." Emma mentally kicked herself. She was thinking about rainbows alright, but for far more inappropriate ways. But Ms. Mills didn't need to know that.  
"I see…" The darker woman looked skeptical.

Emma couldn't help the blush that crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks with pink. She hated her body, sometimes, and the way it reacted to certain things. Especially if one of those  _things_  was Regina Mills.

The two had ended up sitting in an awkward silence, neither one knowing what to say to the other. It wasn't until Ruby had interrupted them, did they finally relax, no doubt relieved for the intrusion.

"Thank you, Ms. Lucas." Ms. Mills flashed the waitress a grin when the lanky brunette set the plate in front of her. Emma's own meal soon followed , as well as a few words from her friend.

"It's on me, Em." Ruby whispered before trotting off.

Emma smiled to herself. Okay. Maybe Ruby was off her shit list for now. She didn't even have to argue with her friend about getting the meal for free. Afterall, it was her friends' fault for her skipping dinner.

She glanced up to catch sight of Ms. Mills already chewing a bite of her meal. The blonde tried so hard to keep the grin from flashing across her face, but it failed, which had caused the brunette to quirk a brow.

"Ruby's Granny makes the best lasagna." Emma found herself saying. She didn't know why the hell she just said that. It was sure to be random to the teacher. But the other woman merely smiled.

"Indeed she does. I must say, it's better than mine. I can never get mine to quite taste like hers." Ms. Mills responded, setting her fork down so she could take the napkin from her lap and dab delicately at the corners of her mouth.

"Why do you like pepper flakes in them?"

The brunette subconsciously licked her lips. "It gives it a little  _kick_."

"I bet." Emma giggled, then proceeded to explain how she didn't necessarily enjoy lasagna, even though, yeah, Granny made the best. Ms. Mills was a bit shocked, if not offended (or at least Emma thought so), and said she was missing out on quite a lovely meal. Emma only laughed and shrugged, saying that she really wasn't and, anyways, spaghetti was quite similar to the dish.

The rest of the night consisted of idle conversation and the often subtle, sheepish looks that Emma had donned upon realizing what she was doing. The two were practically on a date, but Emma tried to push that annoying little voice aside and listen to the moral one telling her that it was just a nice, platonic dinner with her teacher because the other woman had been nice enough to invite her to sit with her tonight. Whatever the brunette had been thinking at the time was probably a far cry from where Emma's thoughts veered. The point aside, the blonde must admit this was one of the best dinners she had had in a while, of course, excluding all of the lovely meals at home.

By the end of the night, Emma felt that she had an even deeper connection with her teacher, mentally if not emotionally. It had gotten easier to talk to her as the hours passed and the diner emptied. She learned simply and basic things about Ms. Mills, and even though they weren't much, it was still a turning point for them since the older woman had opened up about herself. Like how she was an only child and she used to absolutely  _love_  horseback riding in her younger years before college. And, somehow, her mother knew the principle. A strange thing, that. Ms. Mills had slightly questioned that as she talked about it, but decided to pass it off. She didn't want to discuss her mother. The most information that the blonde had gotten about her was the woman's name and that was Cora. Everything else was left unsaid, but the look in her teacher's eye told her there was so much more to tell.

When the two had parted ways, Ruby finally kicking them out and a worried text from Mary Margaret, they said their goodbyes with large, toothy grins. It was a nice night for the both of them. Of course, morally, it was wrong for a teacher and a student to have dinner together like this. That had worried Ms. Mills upon realizing that, but Emma assured her no one would know nor should they really suspect a thing. It wasn't like they had a secret relationship or anything, but Emma didn't say that. The words died on her tongue before they were thrown from her mouth. Being reassured, the English teacher nodded and said her goodnight before heading down the street towards a black Mercedes. Emma watched her get into the vehicle and drive off before guiding her feet down the sidewalk towards the apartment, backpack slung on her shoulder and soiled hoodie underneath her arm as she wore the stupidest smile she could muster. This really was a good night and nothing could ruin it. Not even if Mary Margaret or David would reprimand her for staying out so late without saying a word about it.


	7. Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all for the lovely comments! I really enjoy reading them. They totally make my day. On another note, here's another chapter for all of you lovely readers! Please tell me what you think! 
> 
> And also, I used a line from House of 1000 Corpses. Have to give credit to that. :) (although, it might not make too much sense in there, but it works)
> 
> Warning: Some very salty language and a crabby/angry Emma. You have been warned.

Emma stirred underneath the covers, the light streaming from her window hit her square in the face and woke the blonde up. Prematurely, she thought with a yawn. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet.

Groaning, she tossed onto her other side and patted around her mattress groggily in search of her phone. She might as well see how much more time she had left to sleep. With her luck, she'd only have five or less minutes. Hand coming into contact with the mobile device, she quickly woke it up and stared at the screen through tired eyes.

Then she shot bolt upright with the comforters flying off to the side of her. What the hell happened to her alarm? Her phone had indicated that it was a mere fifteen minutes before school started.  _Fifteen minutes_  to get ready  _and_  walk to the school. _In this weather._

It was in the middle of November. The week was half over, although Emma just wished that it would be over already. The only reason why she seemed to look forward to each day was for the lunch period that she spent with Ms. Mills. Everyone else and every other class could go suck one for all she cared. At least, that was her thoughts this morning. It wasn't going to be a good day, and Emma could tell already. Who the hell knows what else they're supposed to be doing in her classes. Probably nothing fun and everything boring.

Although, that would have been the least of Emma's worries in the next few minutes as she scrambled to get her clothes on for the school day. She wondered why the hell Mary Margaret hadn't woken her up, yet. Surely the schoolteacher would make sure her daughter was up for the day before she left? Unless she figured that Emma decided to sleep in this morning.

But the blonde hadn't planned that. Her phone was just an asshole and decided not to inform her to wake up this morning. Damned technology.

Damn herself. She probably forgot to set the alarm last night. After all, she  _had_  stayed up quite late trying to finish up her writing assignment for creative writing. Procrastination was never a good thing for Emma. When she pushed things aside, they were pushed aside and forgotten until someone, or herself, reminded her that it was needed to be done by the next day. And, boy, had she not pushed this paper aside, she wouldn't have gone to bed passed… God, when  _did_  she go to bed? It was well passed two in the morning, she knew for sure. Then she had major difficulties falling asleep, although, what else is new?  
Emma  _always_  had troubles falling asleep and tended to lay in bed anywhere from twenty minutes to five hours, depending on how many things she had on her mind. And last night she had quite a few thoughts running through her brain, like how she hoped her story hadn't sucked in the haste that she wrote it, or how she completely missed the way Ms. Mills wore her black-framed glasses sometimes.

Suffice it to say, she hadn't gotten much sleep and now she was one crabby teenager. With sleep-crusted eyes, she trudged down the stairs of the loft and headed for the front door. She didn't see Mary Margaret on her way out. She must have left early again. Damn. Emma wished the brunette wouldn't have or else the blonde would be at school by now.

Which didn't sound too appealing, Emma thought as she walked down the street towards the school. She could sure as hell use the time away from all the students buzzing around in her way. God, did she hate that. They  _never_  moved when she wanted them to and they walked so agonizingly  _slow_  through the halls. Just like the herd of students in front of her now. Sometimes she wished she were a sheepdog and they sheep, it would certainly make things a lot easier.

What.

Where the hell are her thoughts right now? With a groan, she headed down the English hallway and straight into Mr. Booth's room. Killian was there in his spot. His blue eyes watching her as she took the spot next to him. It was just about five minutes before the bell and most of the students were in the classroom by now.

Dammit. At least she didn't have to sit through more flirtatious conversations with him this morning. He was a reluctant boy and it really annoyed the hell out of Emma. She had figured he would stop doing these  _things_  upon hearing her blurt about the ladies' locker room. But apparently he really did take it as a joke, or at least chose to ignore it.

"You look like the dead." He quirked a brow, addressing the blonde who, apparently looked like the dead. She wouldn't doubt it. She could feel that her bags had bags, and from seeing the dark circles under her eyes this morning, it was true. Her hair was slightly mussed and haphazardly thrown into a messy ponytail. She wore her usual attire, which really could look no different than it had before.  
"I feel like the dead." And, yeah, she did. She felt like she was walking on a cloud most of the time. Her head felt a if it were elsewhere from her exhaustion. God, did she hate being this tired.

"I take it you woke up late?"

"Yup."

"P.E.'s gonna be fun for you."

"Don't remind me."

"We have to  _run_."

"I'll probably fall and die on the floor."

 _Yawn_. Dammit.

"Don't worry, I'll bring my phone to video you if you do."

"Don't."

"I can see it now."

"Shut up."

"And I shall be your knight in shining armour as I come to your rescue."

_Oh god, he better be joking._

"No."

"And everyone will  _swoon_."

"Shut up, Killian." Emma groaned. She really wasn't in the mood for this.

_Bleeeeep!_

The bell rang and Emma nearly had a hard attack. She bolt up in her seat, green eyes wide and body tense.  _Holy shit_. She nearly fell out of her chair. Hopefully no one was paying too much attention.

And now Killian was having the time of his life, laughing at her reaction as if his life had depended upon it.

 _Him_.

"Don't. Say. A. Word." She grit, burying her head into her arms. Now she was blushing furiously.

_Great._

"Oh..! Oh, shit, Emma…" He was doubling slightly over in his desk. Mr. Booth was glaring at them for the disturbance. "That was so much better… I wish I could have gotten that on video."

"Shut. Up."

"Now you have to fall down in gym."

"For fuck's sake! I am not in the mood for this."

"Emma!"  _Shit_.

"Sorry, Mr. Booth." Emma glared at Killian who grinned smugly next to her.

"Do I have to separate you two?" He asked, moving towards them. The entire class was now looking at the two.  _Fantastic_.

"Please. Do." Emma mumbled.

"Fine. Go take the spot next to Ava."

Emma obliged and got up from her seat, stumbling slightly over her own feet as she made her way next to her classmate. Well, at least she wouldn't have to sit through  _that_  all period.

By the end of third period, Emma had woken up for the most part, although most of her body felt groggy as hell. Her brain was fuzzy, yet she felt slightly alert. It was an odd feeling and the blonde didn't like it. She felt… high. Or so she thought that's how she felt. She usually tended to avoid drugs.

After what had seemed like an eternity, the blonde had finally made it to her fourth period classroom and slumped into her desk at the back. Her body was now on autopilot. It felt like she had no control anymore. From her head to her toes, she felt absolutely numb. Really, she felt like she needed a nap. Maybe she would do that when she got home. But that was highly unlikely. She hated naps. They only made her more tired and left her with an awkward dry mouth.

Her eyes wandered around the quiet room. Most of it was full, but since Ms. Mills was in the room, they remained quiet. How strange they acted around the brunette teacher, Emma thought. They seemed afraid of her. Sure, she sometimes threatened to send them to the office or give them a detention slip if they talked during the wrong time, but come on. The woman was harmless.

She was like a fluffy kitten.

_Yeah._

_Fluffy kitties._

Then her eyes found the raven-haired beauty standing at her podium, patiently waiting for the bell to ring.

_Not a fluffy kitten._

She was a freaking panther.

The way her eyes ate up the classroom as if the students were her prey.

And that sleek, dark hair of hers.

Which looked fluffy-ish today.

Ms. Mills was a fluffy panther kitten, Emma concluded with a nod to herself.

_Fluffy panther kitten?_

She really was out of it today.

_Keep your mouth shut, Swan, before you call your very sexy teacher a fluffy panther kitten._

Because Emma was certain that's exactly what she would do if she were to open her mouth at the moment. Or any moment, because now that damned term won't leave her thoughts. Oh, great. Just do  _not_  speak, she kept telling herself.

The bell rang soon enough and Ms. Mills began with:

"Please pass your papers forward from yesterday."

_Duck a fuck._

Did she remember to bring that?

Emma quickly rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her notebook. Relief flooded over her as she found the neatly typed story in one of the pockets. She was smart enough to remember to put that thing in her notebook. Good thing, because she was sure she would have left her head at home if it weren't attached.

Passing that forward, she let her body remain at ease. Today wasn't too bad of a day, despite the fluffy kitten thoughts. They were going good. And that black dress that barely reached Ms. Mills' knees made it all the better.

After the teacher had collected all of the papers, she set those aside and grabbed a fresh stack of papers, and the class nearly let out a collective groan. Or so Emma imagined in her mind. They hated doing in-class work. Well, at least Emma did. But, hey, it was better than nearly falling asleep while watching words fade in and out on the smartboard.

"I have a study guide for you to fill out from this chapter's notes. The test will be on Friday. Tomorrow we shall go over the study guide as a class. That does not mean that you do not do the work because I  _will_  be checking them before we continue. If you feel so inclined as to not do it, you will sit in the hallway and work on it until we are finished." And so she started to pass the papers out to each row. After she had finished, she collected the papers from the class's previous assignment and headed towards her desk. More than likely to check them, Emma thought in the most obvious way.

Emma collected her paper and stared at the questions. There just seemed to be so many. She loved Ms. Mills as a teacher dearly, but she could just be a bit of a pain (a loveable one, mind you) when it came to homework.

Abiding like a good citizen and student, Emma began answering the questions with ease, trying her best to ignore the talking boys next to her. They were 'whispering', if you could call barely hushed voices whispering. She didn't care about that, it was disinteresting anyhow.

And then, in the corner of her eye, she saw Ms. Mills look up at the talking students and cleared her throat as a warning. They hushed immediately. Content, the teacher went back to reading the first story on the stack.

Then they began to talk again not five minutes later. Emma rolled her eyes, completely used to not being able to work in silence. There was always at least  _some_  group that talked during work time in every class. But in this one, it was quite rare since Ms. Mills had made it clear that she didn't like the disturbance. She wanted everyone to get their work done.

And so she stood. Emma parted her gaze from the paper and watched as the brunette made her way over to the two students, an eyebrow quirked and hands planted firmly on one of the desks. This immediately caught the boys' attention and they looked up just as the teacher spoke in one of her most threatening (and might Emma add her most sexiest) voice.

"If I need to remind you to stay quiet during work time one more time, I will write the both of you up an office referral. I recommend that you remain quiet and get to work. I know that you cannot afford another zero."

"We will." One of the boys said.

"Thank you." She narrowed her eyes at the two of them before heading back over to her desk, leaving a trail of her spicy perfume in her wake. And  _oh_ , did she smell good, Emma thought.

As soon as Ms. Mills was out of what they thought was earshot, the second boy mumbled to his friend.

"She's such a fucking cunt. No wonder why no one likes her."

It took Emma a moment to register what he had said, but as soon as she knew figured out just what he was saying, she was about to go into full-on Donkey Kong mode and bring out a can of whoop ass on them.

 _But_ , she had to remain still. She couldn't come to Ms. Mills' defenses without question from, well, any of them. It wasn't in her place to do such a thing, but god, what he said just made her blood boil. She could easily imagine mutilating his sorry ass, ripping each limb off ever so slowly...

"I know," the other readily agreed and Emma kept her ears open.

If they  _did_  continue to insult the teacher, she didn't know how long she could keep calm before she really did break.

And the boy continued. "I don't understand why they had to move us to  _her_  class. It's just a guaranteed failure."

That wasn't  _so_  bad…

"She shouldn't even be a teacher. They don't call her a bitch for nothing. I bet she likes to fail all her students on purpose just to fuck them up and laugh as their parents whoop their asses for getting an F."

"Fucking probably. They should have fired her worthless ass instead of giving her  _another_  fucking class. What the hell were they thinking? 'Yes. Let's set up an  _entire_  class that's doomed to failure.'"

Emma grit her teeth, seething with anger now. Oh, god, they were about to unleash the Motherfucking Swan Beast.

"Like I said. She's just a fucking cunt and she doesn't deserve this job. Clearly she doesn't know what the fuck she's doing. Bitch needs to get laid or something."

That was it. That was the last straw. Emma just couldn't take it anymore. Normally she wouldn't get involved in other people's conversations, but when they constantly insulted a great teacher that was really trying her best, they were just done fucked.

"That's it!" Emma nearly screamed, her fist meeting the desk. "Would you just fucking stop?! Shut the fuck up about her! She's the best goddamn teacher in this fucking school. It's not my fucking fault that you're just so goddamn  _stupid_! Maybe the problem isn't  _her_ , but  _you_!" She was standing now, her face inches from the boy's that had been closest to her. "You can just crawl back under that fucking rock that you live under with your pathetic asswipe of a friend and stop insulting somebody that is  _clearly_  better than you. Both of you can go  _fuck_  yourselves, because with a mouth like that, I highly doubt that  _you'd_  get anything else better than your own hand, you fucking… _fucking twats_!"

"Emma Swan!" The blonde winced at the husky, but firm, voice behind her. Ms. Mills had now stood from her desk, chocolate brown eyes staring sharply at her student. The shell-shocked boys had now begun to snicker quietly at the reprimanding.

"I thought you were better than to pick a fight during class. I would like to see you after the period ends." Then she moved to stand in front of the two boys once again, a pad of paper in her hand. "And you two should start getting packed up. You're heading to the office."

"That's not fair!" One of them whined, pointing a finger to Emma. "How come she doesn't get sent down there, too? She verbally abused us for no reason!"

Emma scoffed at him and scowled.

"No arguments or I will see to it that you get detention as well." Ms. Mills ripped the papers from their pad and handed them to the boys. "Now, get going."

"You really  _are_  a fucking cunt." The second spat, ripping the paper from his teacher's grasp.

And something in Emma just  _broke_.

"You fucking know what, you rude prick?! Fuck yo mama!... Fuck yo sista!... Fuck yo  _grandma_!... And most of all…  _FUCK YOU_!" The next thing she knew, she was throwing her fist in the air, knocking it against the teenage boy's jaw with a loud  _crack!_

Ms. Mills now had a grip around Emma, her arms encircling the blonde, trapping her arms.

" _Emma!_ "

"You fucking psycho bitch! Fuck you and your bitch  _girlfriend_!" The boy cried, holding his jaw as his friend grabbed their things.

"Go to office.  _Now!_ " The teacher demanded, shooting them daggers as she struggled to hold the squirming Emma.

Despite being in Ms. Mills' arms (like she had dreamed upon first seeing her), Emma continued to struggle. She really wanted to just  _strangle_  that asshole for saying that about their teacher. All sense about  _everything_  just left. She didn't think after that. She just  _couldn't_. The woman was insecure enough about what other's thought of her, and when they so directly had to state those  _things_ , she just could  _not_.

After the two boys left, did Ms. Mills finally release Emma from her grip. All things moral came flooding back into Emma's adrenaline-filled brain. She wanted to cry. Perhaps not literally, but she felt the need. She broke. She let it show how much she really did care about Ms. Mills.

Hopefully the teacher wouldn't say anything about that. Maybe she would take if from their sort of bond that they had formed during their lunches.  _Fuck_. Hopefully she would still  _want_  to have lunch with Emma after that little scene.

"Meet me in the hall, please." She said quietly to Emma before smoothing out her dress, heading towards the front of the room.

Emma obliged and headed to the hall as Ms. Mills had told the class to continue working and that they would have time tomorrow to work on the study guide since the disturbance had left most of the class watching the scene.

The blonde leaned against one of the lockers next to the classroom, her head pounding and her hand throbbing. She probably needs ice on that. She'd probably be heading to the office anyways, so it didn't matter.

The sound of the door opening told Emma that Ms. Mills had joined her. If that weren't enough, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor gave her away. The blonde pushed herself away from the lockers and readied herself.

"I don't want to send you to the office, Emma, you know that. But I have to." She looked at the blonde, her eyes were slightly shimmering and Emma swore she saw  _something_  in there. It was something rare for her to see, but not exactly foreign.

"I know. I understand. It's my fault, anyways." Emma shrugged, wincing slightly as she held onto her bruised hand. That had caused the brunette to look down and frown.

"You should get ice for that."

"Yeah."

"Go to the office, okay?" Her voice was soft. She had taken the usual authoritative tone out. It was so weird how she spoke so differently to Emma. Of course, the blonde wasn't complaining.

"Yeah, I will. Do I need to grab my stuff?"

"You'll be in there for the rest of the period, I'm sure. There isn't much time left." Ms. Mills slightly tilted her head. "You can leave your items in the room. I'll see you for lunch."  
Emma nodded, trying to hide the smile that threatened to appear on her lips. "Alright."

Then she headed down the hall towards the office. She could feel those whisky eyes on her, as if they were boring through her skin. It gave her goosebumps.

She was able to leave the office after the bell rang for lunch. Emma had gotten detention after school for the rest of the week and then some. But it was totally worth it, she thought. She was able to defend Ms. Mills' dignity when she knew other people wouldn't. She was rather proud of herself and she talked her way out of suspension.

Despite Mr. Gold's affinity to be  _creepy as fuck_ , he seemed to have a soft spot for Ms. Mills, and upon realizing why Emma had exactly punched that boy and screamed several profanities, she had him wrapped. It was a good day, she thought, despite having gotten up late and being tired as hell. She felt  _fucking pumped_. She felt like she could take down Godzilla.

And soon she was in Ms. Mills' classroom again. Her bag and papers still where she had left them. The brunette teacher was typing furiously at her keyboard, and what a sight. Emma stared at her for a moment, and she  _really_  soaked her up.

Ms. Mills had her plum lips pursed, the lower one slightly tucked into her mouth as she nibbled at it, her fingers clacking at the keys on the keyboard. Her sharp, brown eyes were focused on the flat, computer screen. And,  _oh_ , she was wearing those glasses again. They were slid halfway down her nose and the face she pulled just looked so adorable.

Adorable?

Emma flushed slightly at her thoughts and pulled her chair over to Ms. Mills' desk once again. The teacher seemed to have not taken notice, or at least she didn't show it if she had, and continued to type away. Then, as if on cue, she stopped and turned to face Emma. The glasses were now in her hand, which had then been placed on the desk next to a stack of papers.

"Ms. Swan," she addressed, her voice firm and Emma nearly shit herself. Maybe she really  _did_  fuck up after all.

Then, suddenly, a smile broke across the teacher's face. "Thank you."

"Wh-what?" Emma blinked, confused for a moment. She had  _not_  been expecting that. But, then again, she had always expected the worst outcome for each situation.

"Thank you. I heard what… they said." Now she began to nibble on her lower lip, eating away the lipstick there. "And… thank you for standing up for me. Really, Emma, I am forever grateful. I… I can try to talk with Mr. Gold about alleviating some of your punishment."

"No, it's fine. I got what I deserved. Anyways, it's not as bad as you think." Emma shrugged, a grin of her own had found its way upon her pale lips. "But thank you for trying."

Ms. Mills stared at her for a moment, and Emma swore she was going to cry, but she didn't. She straightened herself, a watery smile on her plump lips. "No one has ever done that for me. I've heard these students throw insults at me, both directly and indirectly, and no one ever stood up… for me. I can't do it myself because they're students.  _My_  students and I have to act professionally. But the way you stood up for me today. It really…" she trailed off and Emma didn't need for her to continue. What she said was enough to make Emma's entire school year. Her heart just expanded in her chest as pride ripped through her.

She was pretty sure she was glowing.

"Of course, Ms. Mills… I mean, those students are assholes. They don't know spit. Half the time they don't think about what they say and how it could affect someone." Emma said quietly. "And since you can't retaliate, they just think that you don't care, so they can get away with it. I know I probably shouldn't have gone as far as I did, I must admit, but, hey… I'd probably do it again in a heartbeat. Someone needed to speak on your behalf and stand up to those bullies."

And then she's almost choking on that spicy scent of Ms. Mills' perfume when she's engulfed in her arms. It took Emma a moment to register what was happening, and even longer to respond. Soon enough, her own arms wrapped around the brunette and she felt at home.  
She was soft. And warm. And her hair smelled like apples.

Emma marveled in the hug, hoping that it wouldn't end any time soon. It was so very nice and so much better than the restrain embrace from earlier. And it was so funny how Emma felt when being in her arms. She felt all warm and fuzzy, like she was sitting in front of the fireplace during winter with a fluffy blanket and a cup of cinnamon cocoa. It was her version of  _home_. And that was slightly terrifying. Or really terrifying. The blonde couldn't decide and right now, she didn't care.

But the embrace had to end. Ms. Mills pulled away to be met with a stupid beaming grin from Emma. She was quite sure she looked like an idiot, but that was fine. She didn't care. She just got hugged by Regina Mills. And it was nice. It smelled like apple pie. And she was  _the_  fluffy panther kitten.

"How about lunch?" Ms. Mills murmured, eyeing Emma's bag.

"Oh, right! Lunch. I'm hungry. You must be hungry." the blonde flustered slightly and reached down to open up her bag once again to pull out the paper sack.

But she was met with nothing but her calculator and a small reading book.

Where was lunch?

"Lunch?" she whined, pointing to her bag helplessly. "I got up late and totally forgot to pick up lunch! Shit. I'm stupid."

"Hey, Emma." Ms. Mills frowned. "No, you aren't. You're not stupid, dear. Everyone makes mistakes."

"But now we're both out a lunch."

"We don't have to be." The teacher rolled her chair back and leaned forward to grab her purse from underneath the desk. After a minute of rummaging through it, she pulled out her wallet. "Lunch can be on me. After all, you're something like my White Knight." she offered Emma a smile before standing. "I can head to the school store and pick us up something there. What would you like?"

"Can't I just come with you?" Emma murmured, standing as well. She felt her stomach grumble, which had ultimately caused her to blush.

"If you feel so inclined to. But, do just give me the items after picking them out." She gestured towards the door before heading across the class, Emma trailing behind her.

"Want me to, like, point at things? I don't know if it's appropriate for teachers to buy their students a lunch." she said, trying to keep up with Ms. Mills' long strides.

"I do not mind what they think. You did something for me today, and it's something that I am forever grateful for…" she tried to find the right words, and Emma had a flutter of hope in her stomach that maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with more than just gratitude.

"Okay." Emma nodded and smiled softly, following Ms. Mills into the school store. She looked around the small room, her green eyes eating up the different food products on the makeshift shelves and aisles, and god, everything looked good. She didn't know what to get, but she also didn't want to get too much or something too expensive. The blonde would feel too selfish for that since her brunette teacher was willing to buy her the meal.

"Anything look good to you?" A deep voice sounded beside her.

"Everything," she replied, looking up into brown eyes. "But I don't want to spend a lot of your money… so, like… string cheese would be enough. They're, like, fifty cents."

"Emma," she heard the woman sigh softly and shake her head. A smirk was on her lips.

"You need to pick something more than that or I will get you a five dollar lunchable." She pointed to one of the refrigerators.

"No, thanks… Uh," the blonde bit her lip and chose a bag of potato chips. "Done."

"Is that all?" Ms. Mills quirked an eyebrow at the item in her hand. "That's hardly a healthy meal, Emma. Why not get an apple? There are sandwiches as well." And to emphasize her point, she grabbed a small sub sandwich from the refrigerator as well as an apple from the basket by the checkout counter. Then, suddenly, she grabbed another sandwich and another apple before pointing to a bag of baked chips. "Mind grabbing that for me?"

"Um…" Emma nodded and grabbed the desired bag, watching as the teacher sauntered over to the drinks.

"Would you like something from here?" Emma was about to shake her head, but the teacher gave her a wry look. "Grab two waters and bring them to the counter."

Then she left Emma to her own, grabbing the bottles before following behind Ms. Mills again. She dropped the items onto the counter and blinked.

"Are you sure we've got enough time to eat all of this?" she asked, pointing to the now-bagged items that the volunteer cashier handed to the brunette.

But the woman didn't say anything as she merely walked out of the store, leaving Emma to follow her once more.

It wasn't until they had arrived back into the classroom and unpacked their lunches did Ms. Mills finally speak.  
"Depends on how fast you eat."

And the words just seemed so random to Emma because, yup, she forgot the question that she had asked not five minutes prior.

"Excuse me?"

"You asked if we had enough time to eat all of this. It depends on how fast you eat, or what you do eat." she eyed Emma's meal skeptically, her eyes focused on the fruit.

"Are you worried that I won't eat the apple?" Emma giggled softly and picked up the honeycrisp apple, then polished it on her shirt before taking a large bite out of it. "Mmm is good." she spoke through the mouthful of food.

Ms. Mills gave her a disapproving look before cleaning her own apple to eat. "They usually are, dear."

"Do you like apples? I mean,  _really_  like them?" Emma tilted her head. Belle had said something about the teacher's always having an apple on her desk. Typical cliche.

"More than you know." The brunette grinned, taking another bite out of her apple. And, holy shit, the twinkle in her eyes told Emma that she was talking about more than just apples. But… what the hell type of innuendo would that be? And would Ms. Mills  _intentionally_  say something like that? Or offer that look in her eyes? Maybe Emma had just been seeing things. Perhaps she was a little  _too_  hopeful.

"I enjoy all different types. I enjoy the Red Delicious ones the most. They're sweet." Ms. Mills grinned innocently enough, but that little pink tongue of hers darted out to lick the apple's juices from her lips.

Emma watched her every movement, a blush crawling its way onto her cheeks. "Y-yeah. I like them, too."

The brunette teacher looked over to Emma and smiled widely. "Good. I have a tree of them in my backyard. I could bring some for you, if you wish. There are so many, I hardly know what to do with them all. I try to make as many pies, tarts, turnovers, or try to incorporate them into every meal as I can, but it gets tiring after a while."

It took Emma a moment before her brain had processed what the teacher was telling her. She was more tired than, she thought, and the distraction of Ms. Mills' lips didn't help any towards her concentration.

"Emma?" Ms. Mills looked at her with a frown, concern creasing the barely visible lines in her face.

"Oh, yeah, pie sounds good." she mumbled, looking to the hand that had found its way onto her knee.

"Are you sure you are alright, dear? You seem… out of it."

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't get much sleep. I'm just tired, is all." Emma shrugged as if it were nothing. Her forest green gaze slid up to meet her teacher's. "What were you saying before about pie?"

"Apples, dear. I was speaking about apples. I wanted to know if you were interested in my bringing some for you, since I have so many." She giggled for a moment before taking a bite of her sandwich which she had unwrapped some time during Emma's little adventure into outer space.

The blonde watched her once again. She took such dainty and delicate bites from the sub like she feared it would attack her if she were to dare take a larger nibble. Her jaw worked not as regally, although she made it look so goddamn rich with her lips pressing together as she chewed. That woman was all kinds of perfect and she was beautiful, even as she ate the meat-filled sandwich.

"Oh. Yeah. I mean, that would be nice." Emma grinned, shaking her head slightly to clear her mind. Really, she needed to stop staring at the teacher. She was quite sure Ms. Mills could feel her just… staring. It was probably uncomfortable. "I like apples and my parents like 'em, too."

"Then I shall bring some for you tomorrow. I have  _bowls_  just lying around the house." she shook her head and took another bite.

Then Emma felt her stomach growl, demanding it be fed. She nearly forgot about eating for a moment there. She really was out of it. Holy hell. Quickly, she opened her bag of potato chips and popped one into her mouth.

"How is your hand, dear?" Ms. Mills' eyes lowered to the blonde's hand, which was now wrapped up. She had ice on it for about five minutes before growing tired of holding the damn pack to her hand. She was already out one hand, she didn't need to lose the other for the rest of the day.

"It still hurts, but I'll live." She shrugged. "I've had it happen before."

"You have?" There was a frown on that pretty face of hers and it made Emma's heart sink, causing her to frown in return.

"Yeah. It can be a fight for survival sometimes in those homes." Emma avoided her teacher's stare and, instead, took interest in the wrap around her knuckles. She was clamming up again and she knew it. It was hard sometimes to just spill out things from her past. The first time was hell enough. She wanted to avoid revisiting those memories at all cost.

"Oh, Emma," she heard the brunette's voice, which had been nothing but a mere whisper.

"Don't feel sorry for me or anything. It's in the past and I'd really rather not talk about it." And that's all that Ms. Mills was going to get out of her. At least for now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate anything."  
"It's okay." Emma shrugged, her eyes glancing at the clock. Five minutes. So she started to pack up her uneaten food. She knew she should have eaten something, but her mind was elsewhere, and right now, she didn't feel so hungry anymore.

Ms. Mills watched her with a curious gaze, her eyes sparkling with a hilt of sadness. "I suppose this is until tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Emma gave her her best smile, making it wide and beaming. "Thank you for the lunch. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all, especially after what you had done for me." She shot Emma a grin before pausing and bending down to reach underneath her desk. "I really shouldn't give you these, but…" she placed two, small white tablets into the palm of Emma's hand. "These are for your hand. It's the least that I can do, dear."

"Thanks," the blonde popped the pills into her mouth, swallowing them dry. This woman was truly a sweetheart. She had no idea why people would treat her so badly when she really didn't have a single evil bone in her body. She was just doing her job. Too bad the others didn't take the time to get to know her like Emma did. Perhaps, then, they would change their view on her.

Emma stood up now, but remained with her gaze locked on Ms. Mills'. She debated whether or not to take that step forward and give her an appreciative hug. The blonde wasn't quite sure how she would react, and it was quite risky. And not to mention, weird. Even though they had embraced earlier. It felt different, and honestly, Emma wasn't used to showing such affection. So she took a step back and bowed her head.  
"Thank you, once again, for lunch. Uh.." she gestured her head towards the door as the bell finally rang. "I appreciate everything."

"Of course, Emma…" she watched the blonde cross the room. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, though?"

"Yeah, these pills should help."

"Alright… If you're sure. I wish you a good day, dear."

"Thanks." Emma grinned shyly and pushed the door open. " _You_  have a good day as well, and don't let anyone get you down. No matter what they say, you are a nice person. An incredible woman. They just don't see that because they don't want to open their eyes. They just accept lies that they're fed. And call me in if they start talking smack about you because I still have another can of whoop-ass ready."

"Emma…" Ms. Mills' complexion had completely softened now. She looked so different and so very much younger, if that were possible. Her chocolate orbs twinkled in the light as her plump lips parted slightly.

"I-I have to go." And so Emma did, quickly rushing out of the room. Whatever that look was just scared the shit out of the teenager and she didn't know if she could handle what would have come if she stayed. Maybe it would have been nothing. Maybe something. She didn't know and she wouldn't soon find out. She did what she did best and fled.


	8. Library and Book Talk

Emma's mind was a whirl of emotions by the end of her journey to Mr. Glass's classroom. She felt terribly bad about what she had done, she concluded. Hopefully Ms. Mills didn't construct her behaviour in a negative way. Although, the blonde wouldn't exactly blame her if she had. After all, she left without another word upon speaking her thoughts, and releasing more information about how she felt towards the brunette. The last thing that she wanted to do was make the English teacher feel uncomfortable. She felt, though, that she had gotten too far, and went beyond where she had originally intended upon sitting with her teacher during lunch hour.

She knew how the rest of her day was going to be by just this moment, or so she thought as she slid into her seat next to Belle. Emma's mind was going to be working over the subject for the rest of the day, contemplating different outcomes for the day's events. Because if she did  _this_  differently, or had done  _that_  a different way, or perhaps handled a situation in an entirely different manner, she might not be so goddamn distracted. Belle was saying something beside her, but Emma wasn't paying attention.

After all of the events of the day, it all ended on just  _one_  simple image. One  _small_  scene that Emma just  _could not_ , for the life of her, get out of her head. After all, it was the entire reason why she had fled the room prematurely. And for some reason, it just scared the hell out of her. Something inside of her just sparked and told her to get away. Something was just not  _right_  about  _any_  of it. That look on Ms. Mills' visage had Emma completely taken aback. The reason was slowly coming to the blonde the more she gave thought about that particular moment.

The look in the brunette's eyes had only been given to Emma twice in her life, and as independent and isolated as her life had been without the usual general kindness, it was quite rare. So, that it had happened again only left the blonde baffled as to  _why_  Ms. Mills would give her such a look.

The first time she received such a look of admiration was when she was old enough to remember it. She was two. Of course, many would say that it would be such an impossibility to remember something, especially a  _look_ , at such a young age. And, yes, it was uncanny, but Emma remembered it. Around that very age were the years that she had remembered the most. Every other year of her childhood had been a blur. But then, at  _that_  age, she remembered most vividly. At  _that_  time, she was loved. It was the first time that she had ever been loved- or so she thought since her parents  _had_  given her up- and it was the last time. That was, until she had met the Nolans. That would be the second time she would have received such a look of love and admiration as a brand new addition to a small, young family.

And, now, she had seen such a similar look on Ms. Mills' face after she had said those words. Perhaps it wasn't love, but it was enough to scare the hell out of Emma. It had happened when she had first had a connection with the Nolans. That look shot dread throughout her entire body and she wanted to just turn and flee. And, of course, she had. She escaped to her  _own_  bedroom.

The reason for that being was quite a simple, yet so complex, explanation. Being loved and showing love was just not something Emma was used to. But there were the people in her life that drew these feelings out of her and pushed towards her that showed that she was indeed capable of loving and being loved.

But her feet weren't on steady ground. She still hadn't trusted  _any_  of it. And the blame would be pushed to the very first family that she had been fostered by. That sweet, young couple with smiling faces and loving eyes. They gave Emma every ounce of their love, which the little girl would remember like any child should. But that was not Emma's case. She remembered, alright, but she remembered for entirely different reasons. That family just  _tossed her aside_  like some old toy that a child didn't want to play with anymore after receiving a brand new one. The woman got pregnant, and Emma still didn't quite understand why, but they decided to  _send her back_. Even at three, Emma knew it wasn't right, and even if she hadn't, the kids at the orphanage teased her every single day until she  _knew_  that it wasn't. Until she  _knew_  that she wasn't  _wanted_. She was a reject. She would  _never_  be loved. And Emma grew up believing that.

The very next home she was sent to proved such to her. The wife was never around and the husband was a drunk, who had gambled away the money that was supposed to go towards the foster children. They didn't love her. They never loved her. And Emma knew that, even with a young mind. She wasn't good enough, and the man had made a constant reminder of that every time she did something wrong, or didn't do a chore correctly. She had been sent back to the teasing older kids just shy of a year later.

Her life consisted of just that, being sent into homes until they found that she wasn't good enough, and sent her back. That was, until she had arrived into this town and was taken under the Nolan's wings. It wasn't the longest she had lived in one particular home, but it was one that she was comfortable in. Of course, she had expected the worst and had been waiting to be sent back for being an unlovable kid once again, but to her surprise, they treated her like an actual human being and had shown her as much love as they could. Sometimes Emma thought it was too much, since they smothered her with hugs and constant reminders of how much they loved her. But, Emma soon had grown used to the affection from those two, and slowly began to appreciate it to its full capacity.

Every single day, though, Emma was always on edge. She expected that one of these days, the two would wake up and realize that they don't actually love her and they never had. And that they would send her back to bounce from house to house until she was eighteen.

The overall intensity of her fears had dissipated and those irrational thoughts only happened on occasion- particularly when she was having a bad day. But the Nolans always banished her fears with a gesture of kindness and of love.

And now that she had seen this look in Ms. Mills' eyes- on her face- all of Emma's fears had come rushing back and hit her like a freight train. She was brought back to that very first family and all of the memories following. She was stuck on that day that the social worker had come to pick her up, as well as the bags with her belongings in it. Little Emma hadn't known what was going on at the time and when she looked out the window towards the couple that didn't even give her a second glance, she had assumed she wasn't going to be back. It took all of the cogs in her brain to do very little spinning before she realized that, yeah, she wasn't going back because the way they had been painting her room and replacing her things had been implication enough.

She was angry before she was sad. Her anger based upon how they could just let her go like that and how they never even  _bothered_  to look at her as she was driven away. And the sadness that had soon followed were encompassed by the same reasons, as well as another. Did they ever love her? More questions were asked to herself as she grew when the kids at the orphanage had taken their own grief out on her. Was she really unlovable? Was she really unworthy of love? Was she… useless?

Those questions- to this day- she still asks herself. They were much like scars. At first, they cut so deep and had been so painful to learn, but as time went on, the words weren't as foreign nor effective as they had been. They only left a dull sadness within her aura and gave her an unforgettable mark.

That's why she was so terrified. Because how if, yeah, Ms. Mills did feel something for her- whether romantically (which was unlikely, she thought) or not- she would only be filled with a certain gnawing dread in the pit of her stomach and the voices of the foster children chanting like distant ghosts in her ears. What if the teacher had decided she really wasn't worth the effort? That, perhaps, she wasn't worth all the time that they had been spent talking and that it would just be better to either move on to another, or ditch her altogether, because she was getting quite boring. Or maybe she was getting too bothersome? Or even to the point of being a constant nuisance?

Of course, those were Emma's fears talking and the blonde couldn't be sure what exactly the teacher would think, come the future. She tried her best not to think about it, knowing that it would only ruin the time that she  _did_  have. But the more time that she had with the teacher would only cause more pain later on. Emma had seriously debated on whether or not to face the woman again. But that was rather hard when she had her as a teacher.  _No_ , she couldn't do that.

Right now, Emma just needed to clear her mind. She needed to  _not_  think about this. At least not for a few hours. The blonde was starting to get a headache with all of these thoughts consuming her. She was drowning and there was no way to escape the sea of worry in her head.

"Are you sure that you're alright, Emma?" Belle asked the blonde quietly.  
Emma looked up from her current project in the art room. She hadn't said much to her friend last period, and for most of this one, since the class was nearing its end. She had only responded with a few grunts or short one-worded responses- both positive and negative- when her friend had asked her questions. The petite brunette must have figured that the blonde wasn't in the talking mood, for she had backed away from speaking to focus on class.

"Yeah," she finally answered. "I'm just thinking, I guess. I have a lot on my mind."

"It seems like it." Belle didn't pry. Instead, she gestured towards Emma's wrapped knuckles. "I've been wondering about that, but every time I asked you, you just grunted at me."

"Oh. Sorry." Emma self-consciously hid her hand.

"What happened?"

"Got into a fight." she murmured vaguely. She wasn't about to tell Belle the reason  _why_  and the other teenager seemed to have known that, because she only nodded. She knew that she wasn't going to get any more than that out of her blonde friend.

"Did you win?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, since they ran out after I punched 'em." Emma only shrugged, playing with a strand of her hair. "I'm a badass, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. You're tough, Emma." Belle gave her a friendly smile and lightly nudged the blonde with her shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"You don't even know why I did it."

"Yeah, but you won. That's something to be proud of." The brunette shrugged. "And even if you didn't, I'd still be proud of you because you were brave enough to fight whoever that was. They must have done  _something_  to piss you off. You wouldn't risk anything for no good reason. You stood up for something that you believe in. I'm proud of that."

Emma gave Belle a watery smile. Boy, was she glad that she could handle her emotions well, because if not, she'd be leaking water works all over the place by now. Belle was a great friend, despite her snoopy tendencies. She was one of those people that, once friends with someone, would be a genuine friend and would take pride in their companions. The brunette always seemed to know the right thing to say, of course, that was only when she really wanted to say it. She reminded her of Ruby, sometimes, and she suspected that the waitress had rubbed off on her with the general snarky and teasing tendencies.

But Belle was booksmart and she had a whole different kind of wisdom that Emma could sometimes stare in awe at. Sometimes she even forgot that the brunette was only her own age, a goddamn teenager. It was those wise thoughts that brought the two together. That, and the library that they had both been visiting at the time. It had been a particular down day for Emma and Belle had taken notice to the solemn way the blonde had sat alone at a table, books surrounding her. They had talked and hit it off quite well, especially once Belle had given Emma her first pep-talk.

And here she was again, cheering her up like she always did. Sometimes she felt that she wasn't enough for Belle, but the brunette had always told her not to mind that. Emma's friendship was enough. It baffled the blonde, for she was never used to such sincerity, but, just as she had with the Nolans, she soon learned to accept it.

"Thanks, Belle." Emma said quietly. "You really are a great friend. I don't deserve you as one, honestly."

"Oh, don't think that, Em!" Those words had caused a frown to take place on Belle's face. "You deserve far better than me as a friend. Now, look… Your thoughts are dragging you down again, yes? Why don't you go to the library after school? I know how much reading helps you. You need it."

The blonde tilted her head. She hadn't thought of that. Well, not recently, anyhow. Going to the library sounded like a dream. She loved to go there and forget about reality as she got lost in books. It always seemed to help ease her mind.  
"Yeah, I need that. Thanks, Belle. You know just what to say." Emma smiled and hugged the other girl tightly. She rarely ever hugged anyone, and when she did, she had no other words to show her gratitude. Belle knew this and gratefully accepted the hug.

"That's what friends are for, Em." She returned the smile and moved away once Emma had released her. "Now, go. I'll clean your things up for you."

"You don't have to do that." Emma frowned, her fingers fumbling with a pencil on the table. "I can stay the extra five minutes."

"Emma." Her voice was stern and showed no room for argument. Emma could only oblige because her friend has done so much for her already and she couldn't sit here and argue when she had offered to do something so kind.

"Fine… But I owe you." The blonde popped up from her seat, grabbing her bag as she stood. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay." Belle chuckled softly and nodded.

"Alright…" And then Emma left the room, one foot in front of the other, as fast as she could. Instead of the worrisome thoughts of today, she had been thinking about which book that she should read first. There were so many that she hadn't read yet that sounded quite appealing, but there were also a few favorites that she wanted to reread. Whatever it may be, she would decide upon getting there.

Emma had arrived into the library, which had already ultimately relaxed her. The silence was welcoming and, from that, she knew that this was a brilliant idea. It didn't take long for her to select a few books and find an empty table. There weren't many people here, which made Emma frown. That was quite unfortunate. Books were fascinating and they could take you into a whole different world. But, then again, Emma always loved to escape reality while others lived their lives. She didn't mind. Less noise and more books for her to stuff her nose into.

Once Emma's eyes scanned over the first sentence, she was entranced. Time had seemed to fade away as she read page after page. She always did enjoy a good book, and this one was one of her favorites. She read it every chance that she had and always seemed to ease through it with fresh eyes and a creative imagination.

Being so enthralled by the book, after reading a great chunk of it, she hadn't noticed the pair of black pumps that had stood in front of her table. It wasn't until a husky voice had pulled Emma from her alternate world, did she look up.

"That's one of my favorites."

Wide, green eyes met warm, brown orbs.

"Yeah, it's mine, too. I read it whenever it's in the library."

"You have excellent taste in literature." The other party commented, a soft smile forming on plump lips. "Mind if I join you?"

"I suppose there's no harm in that." Emma shrugged and gestured to the wooden chair across from her. "Take a seat."

"Thank you, dear."

"Of course, Ms. Mills." The blonde offered her a smile in return, anxiously plucking at her sweatshirt as all of the worrisome thoughts had started to return. Goddammit. Perhaps she should just leave before she does something stupid. The woman that had been harassing her thoughts all damn day was now here, in Emma's place of escape, not ten feet in front of her.

"Do you come here often?" She politely asked, looking for a conversation no doubt. The brunette had placed a book in front of her. A title that was foreign to Emma upon taking a glance to the title.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It helps me get my mind off things."

"Reading is a marvelous escape, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Emma fumbled with the pages of her book, eyes drifting across the line that she had left off on. It would be etched in her memory by the end of this.

"Oh! I am so terribly sorry. This was quite rude of me, intruding on you like this." Ms. Mills had frowned, pulling her book closer. "I should leave you to your reading."

"It's alright. I-I was just leaving…" She fibbed, scooting her chair back so she could stand. As she did, she quickly picked her books up. Emma just couldn't do it. She needed to leave before her mind broke. It was so hard to look into that concerned face and not panic once again. How she was ever going to survive another glance towards the woman without every bad thought coming to mind. It may have seemed rather silly, and sure, Emma wanted to laugh, but she also wanted to just  _cry_  at the same time. This feeling might not ever go away. It was so hard with the Nolans. Their reassurances helped her- as well as their shows of affection- once they had realized how she had been feeling and that really helped Emma through her fears with them. But that was because they  _knew_  those fears. This was Ms. Mills. She  _didn't_  know and she  _couldn't_  know.

"I understand, dear." The brunette smiled warmly at the blonde, her head inclined to look at her. But Emma didn't miss the look of sorrow in her eyes. "I suppose until tomorrow?"

"Yeah." The blonde nodded tightly before quickly turning to leave so she wouldn't have to feel the guilt of rejecting the brunette. She couldn't handle that look.  
"Goodbye, Emma." she heard behind her, as well as the movement of the chair against the floor.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her collected books against her chest. She couldn't stop seeing _that face._  Not the one from before in the classroom- although that was still fresh in her memory. No. It was the look of  _rejection_  that Ms. Mills had tried so hard to hide, but her eyes had shown it all.

_Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it._

She got halfway towards the front door before she spun around to head back. It was only a few strides towards the table she had been seated at- and where Ms. Mills was still standing- before she had reached it. The look of surprise on the brunette's face and the smile that soon replaced it caused Emma's heart to flutter.

Then begin to pound as the fears and voices flooded her mind.

_You're not worthy._

_You're unlovable._

_No one wants you._

_Don't you see the way they just give up on you?_

"Are you alright, honey?"  
Emma heard the voice break through the others, so familiar and sweet, and so very concerned. She opened her eyes to peer up into brown orbs. Oh, God, what was she going to do? Should she just tell the woman about these thoughts? Should she try to resolve them? Could that even be possible?

"Emma?"

"Y-yeah…" Then she shook her head, slumping back down into her chair. "No."

"No?" The brunette frowned, soon slipping into the spot next to Emma. "What's wrong, dear?"

Emma's only response was a soft grunt that she wasn't sure if Ms. Mills had heard. Her mind was elsewhere by now. She was too conflicted upon whether or not she should tell Ms. Mills. Should she confide her fears into the woman that she had grown quite close to over the past few months? How would she even begin? It was far too difficult and it only made Emma's head whirl, causing her to become lightheaded.

"You're right. Books are a nice escape." she started, turning her body to face her teacher. "I've never told this to anyone. Actually, I haven't really talked about my past to anyone. I've been too afraid to."

Ms. Mills nodded with furrowed brows. She was listening, and by the sharpness in her eyes, she was carefully analyzing every word that Emma had said. She looked so genuinely intrigued, and no doubt would archive all of this.

"Uh…" Emma looked to her hands. How should she start? The library, perhaps? Or should she start from the beginning in hopes that Ms. Mills would catch on? But, then again, the teacher didn't know of any thoughts that ran through Emma's head, so that meant that she didn't know how much the blonde had been scared from earlier that day.

So she began in hopes it would all fit together. Maybe this puzzle that she had been confronted with would be finished by the end of the conversation. She surely hoped so.

"When I was a kid, I discovered a book. It was at one of my foster parents' house, I think it was the third one. I was old enough to read and really grasp things then. But, uh… Well, I was really bored that day. This family wasn't too bad, but there were a couple other kids living there as well, and let me tell you, they weren't the nicest. They never let me play with them, so one day, I decided to explore the house and I stumbled across this bookshelf. It was dusty and I'm sure it hadn't been used in years. There were few books on it, which they had been used as stands for the knickknacks on there.

"But, that's besides the point. There was this book sitting all by itself and that really caught my attention. I grabbed it from the shelf and dusted it off so I could read the title. It was a copy of the one I was reading earlier, actually. So, I went to the room that I shared with one of the family's biological daughters, and hid under my blankets to read this book. I got really interested in it and, for the life of me, could not put that thing down. I never got to finish it, because the daughter told her parents that I stole it from them and then they took it away. Of course, I was quite devastated. It was my temporary trip out of the hell that I lived.

"I knew of a library that was only a few blocks away from the house and went there everyday after school for a few hours. Some of the time, I never read. I just enjoyed the quiet, serene atmosphere and lounged in chairs and couches for hours. But I found some pretty good titles to read, mind you, they were for younger librarian eventually helped me pick out ones that were more advanced, and then, did I  _really_  enjoy reading. They were far more intriguing than those…" Emma shook her head and chuckled softly. "Those damn books that inform kids that bears are brown and cats are furry.

"My foster parents got really angry, though, that I went to the library everyday. They accused me of lying when I said that I had went there and assumed that I had been staying out with some friends or something. I never had any, though, but they didn't care. But.. uh… e-eventually, they had social services come and take me back to the orphanage. I started to get used to it, though, because I knew they never loved me in the first place. I never understood why they would take a kid in, only to send them back. It baffles me, honestly."  
The blonde bit her lower lip, avoiding the myriad of emotions flashing across Ms. Mills' visage. She played with the book on her lap for a moment before continuing.

"Ever since then, though, I have kept books with me and used them as a means to escape. I usually visited local libraries for hours on end. Most of the foster parents didn't really care where the hell I was half the time, so I usually stayed until the library closed. I could forget where I was and how hellish my life was, you know?"

Emma closed her eyes, swallowing thickly.

"The kids always told me that I was unworthy and that I could  _never_  be loved, because the proof was in being sent back to that damned place. I was scarred with those words and, eventually, I had come to believe them. No one had ever loved me. The only ones that I had  _thought_  did… They sent me back. Every time I tried to find hope for myself in searching for the loving smiles and kind eyes only lead to heartache, because I realized that I'm  _not_  with them. I am  _here_. I'm where I'm not loved." she then paused, backtracked, and corrected herself. "I mean, back then.  _Now_ , I  _am_  loved. And I finally have friends and ones that care for me."

Here it comes. Here's the part that she had dreaded because she didn't know how to explain it if her teacher didn't get where she was heading. Perhaps, she didn't, because that expression was quite unreadable.

"It took me a while." Emma whispered anyways. "It took me a while to believe that they genuinely cared and wanted me. I get so…  _terrified_. Every time someone shows the least bit of kindness towards me, I have an absolute  _panic_  attack because I am so  _very_  afraid of being rejected again. I carry the name 'Swan' as a reminder to never trust anyone and to doubt their love or kindness."

And there she said it. The words had finally left Emma Swan's mouth. Thinking back, she had never said those very words aloud. She had thought of them many, many times, because she knew of her emotions. But she never admitted them, and now that she had- and to someone else- she felt… lighter. A new weight, though, was holding her down. The reaction from Ms. Mills would be the turning point, she knew for sure. It could go one of two ways, and Emma hoped that it would be in the positive direction.

"Emma, I…" Ms. Mills was at a loss for words. Her lips were left parted as her brain tried to come up with a logical response. "I honestly do not know what to say…"

"Yeah…" Emma felt her shoulders slump, but the added weight to her right one made her blink. Her eyes flicked over to spot Ms. Mills' hand on black. Green soon traveled up her arm towards the face that held conflicting emotions.

"To say I know what you've been through would be ignorant, because I do not know. But I do understand, because I had lived a life somewhat similar. A life of solitude and escaped realities in books, that is, without friends nor trust towards others." The older woman's voice held a sort of understanding that allowed Emma's tense muscles to relax. Her eyes met with brown pools and her heart melted. There was a dark, distant emotion that must have been result of remembrance in those eyes, but what overcame them was what made Emma's mind whirl back towards the end of lunch, earlier that day. It was  _that_  look that had terrified Emma to no end, but now it gave her an entirely different perspective. It eased her, for an odd reason. Perhaps it was the sincerity in them or what she had said next, because both reassured the blonde to the point of serenity.

"Perhaps it would be quite silly of me to say this, but you can trust me. I would  _never_  lead you on in any way and every emotion that I have towards you are nothing but genuine. I hope that you will be able to see that. I have… already opened myself up to you, dear. I can say that I  _do_  trust you, Emma. I can only hope the same for you."

"I do…" Emma found herself saying. It was so quiet and slightly hoarse with emotion, but the brunette had heard it with the smile that broke out across her face. "I probably wouldn't have told you this if I didn't. I… It sounds probably stupid, but I was afraid of you earlier. Or, well, at least right before I left, because I saw that  _look_  in your eyes. That's why I'm here. I was trying to get all of the negative thoughts out of my head."

"I'm sorry that I had made you feel like that, Emma…" she frowned, the hand on Emma's shoulder moving up to cup the blonde's cheek. "I promise you that I never meant to hurt you."

"I know. It was my own fault. I let my fears get the better of me and I really shouldn't have. I really shouldn't have doubted you." Emma closed her eyes, the warmth of the older woman's hand infused through her and it just felt wonderful. It left her entire body tingling and every fear had left at that moment. "Thank you for listening to me."

"You don't need to thank me, dear." Ms. Mills smiled softly, her thumb lightly caressing Emma's cheek before she had realized what she had been doing. She had quickly pulled her hand away. "I'm willing to listen to whatever you have to say."

"Thank-... Okay." Emma licked her lips subconsciously before leaning into her seat now that the teacher had detached herself.

"What time is it?" The blonde asked after a few moments of silence.

"About six, dear." Ms. Mills looked away from her watch to glance at the blonde. "Do you need to be somewhere?"

"No. I planned on staying until the library closed." Emma shrugged. She didn't know how much time they had spent talking and hoped that she would get enough time to read, or perhaps talk more with the English teacher. "Do  _you_  have to be somewhere?"

"Not exactly, dear." The brunette chuckled. "I had only planned on reading at home. But, seeing as to how it's quiet here and I have company, I can stay. If that is alright with you, of course?"

"That's perfectly fine. I'd enjoy the company." Emma's grin was wide, reaching her eyes with ease. "What are you reading?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest…" And Emma swore she could see Ms. Mills blush as she held up the book in her hand. It was a copy of the romance novel " _The Rogue Hunter_ ". Emma blinked. Romance novel? She hadn't noticed the couple on the cover the first time. It looked like a red and black design from the distance. "It's a guilty pleasure."

"You like… romance novels?"

"Paranormal romance. Vampires and such." Ms. Mills was quick to correct, although the darkening blush on her cheeks was evident to her mortification. "These have an interesting storyline that doesn't just revolve around, well, romance and sex."

Emma smirked. "I've read a series like that before, actually. They have these… shifters in them as well. I'm not going to judge you, you know that? You're allowed to read what you want."

"I… know." But she coughed awkwardly and set the book down. "You've read them before?"

"Yeah. I actually like them, believe it or not. They can be quite humorous, and they aren't really sappy like some romance novels. They have a plot, you know? More meaning to them than, just as you said, sex." It was Emma's turn to blush, but she hid it well. Almost enough to pass it off as rouged cheeks. "What's your series like?"

"Oh, well… The vampires in this aren't exactly… They're genetically engineered and had originated from the lost city of Atlantis…" And that had Emma intrigued. She leaned forward and listened in on how Ms. Mills had explained the series without giving too much away. The blonde definitely had to pick them up some time.

"Wow…"

"Now you can see why I like them."

"I do. Now I have to spend more time at the library, huh?" Emma chuckled softly and reached over to grab the book that Ms. Mills had checked out.

"I suppose you could." The teacher shrugged and Emma could tell she was hiding something. She could see that untold sentence in her eyes. So the blonde stared at her expectantly.

"Or…" she mumbled.  
"I do own the entire series." The teacher shamefully admitted. "But I had lost this book and it was my next one, so I decided to check if the library had a copy."

Emma shook her head, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the expression that Ms. Mills now had on her face. She looked tied from somewhere between pained and embarrassed.

"You… can borrow them if you wish. But I do expect to receive them back how I had given them to you."

"You can trust me. I handle books carefully." Emma smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry."

"I'll bring the first couple with me tomorrow."

"Thanks." The blonde grinned with appreciation, handing the book over to Ms. Mills. "What other genres do you like?"

That question had sparked an entire conversation that had left them with no time to read their books. Ms. Mills had first explained that, besides her guilty pleasure in romance, she did also quite enjoy a good mystery and sometimes horror. But most of the times she picked classics, in which Emma had announced that she enjoyed most of the ones that the brunette had named, except for a few that she hadn't quite heard of. The question was soon reciprocated and Emma said she liked just about every genre as long as it had taken her to a whole new universe and away from the real world.

It wasn't long after until they were discussing their favorite titles, some of which were similar, while others were highly recommended to one another. Emma wasn't sure how it was possible to find someone that had the same fascination in books as she did, but the proof was right there in front of her. She knew that if they were to get into another discussion about books, there was no stopping them. And they probably would have went on for plenty hours more if it weren't for the librarian. She had politely told them that it was closing time, and to their astonishment, they had been talking for three hours straight.

Both obliged the librarian's wishes and left the building with their books in tow. Emma had her own stuffed into her backpack by the time they were outside and standing by the curb.

"I suppose I should really be getting home." Emma mumbled, backing a distance away from the library to catch a peek at the time on the clock tower attached to it.

"I should, as well," the teacher concurred, her hand rummaging around inside of the purse slung onto her arm. She soon pulled out a set of car keys and smiled. "It's quite cold out here, isn't it?"

"Indeed," Emma readily agreed. As if on cue, she felt a shiver course down her spine from the cool night's air. "The only reason why I dislike nighttime. It gets colder."

"It does, indeed." Ms. Mills chuckled. She looked around them before gesturing towards her Mercedes. "Why don't I take you home? It's too cold and late for you to walk alone, don't you think?"

"It's a small town." Emma shrugged and about hit herself for that. Here Ms. Mills was, being polite and offering her a ride home- which would no doubt be much warmer- and she was passing it off like an idiot.

"I wouldn't want you to catch a cold, dear."

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"I insist." And then she flashed that brilliant smile of hers, which made Emma give in with a soft huff at herself.

"Thank you." Emma followed behind the brunette as they headed towards the readily awaiting car. She bit her lip, waiting as Regina had unlocked the doors, and got in. Quickly, she put her seat belt on and waited. "I don't live far from here. It's just a few blocks down. It's that old apartment building."

Ms. Mills nodded and pulled away from the curb to head towards their destination. The only words spoken were Emma's, during the drive, as she gave the directions towards her home. It wasn't long before they had arrived and the brunette put the car into park outside of the building.

"We're here, dear." She turned to look at Emma and the blonde blushed.

Why the hell was she blushing? Perhaps it was for the fact that the brunette had just drove her home. And that they were just sitting there outside her apartment like they were supposed to do something.

"Yeah…" she lamely muttered, unbuckling her belt. "Thank you for the ride. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Emma." Regina offered her a warm smile. They locked on and held each other's gazes for a few seconds, and then Emma found herself leaning forward.

She didn't know what was possessing her to do so, but there she went. The proximity of the two was enclosing and the warmth only grew. She swore she saw the brunette teacher lean in closer as well, and soon enough, they weren't far apart.  
Emma's breath caught in her throat at the closing distance, her green eyes locked on the older woman's tempting lips, and that little pink tongue that came out to lick them. They stayed those few mere inches apart for quite some time and Emma wasn't sure if she was fucking something up right now or not. Her head was raising towards the clouds, she was sure, and the heavy breath she was now having along with the way her heart was fluttering rapidly in her chest did not help any. She was quite sure Ms. Mills could hear it.

Then she heard the faintest of noises escape the brunette's parted lips. Emma wasn't quite sure what that was, and she didn't care, because that had led to what happened next. And what happened next was something that she would never forget.

Both had leaned in to close the space between them. Emma nearly groaned as she felt the older woman's soft lips brush tentatively against her own. Her entire body was buzzing with pleasant shocks and she was sure no kiss had ever felt like this before. This felt almost… magical.

She had confirmed it all upon kissing the woman back, her lips pressing slightly harder against the plump ones in an intimate caress. She heard the faintest noise of pleasure from deep within the brunette's throat once again, and that had made Emma turn into putty. Dear Lord, the sound shot straight to the blonde's core. It was wrong, yes, but did she really care? No.

Then there was a hand snaking through her hair, which she had luckily released from her ponytail just hours beforehand. The feeling of fingers delving between each golden lock caused shivers to course down her spine and pleasant little goosebumps to form on her skin. Her own hand had found purchase on the older woman's right as she leaned in closer, enjoying the close proximity to the fullest it could get in a cramped little car.

She felt a tongue slide across her lips before the two had finally pulled away prematurely, albeit for lack of oxygen. Both stay a close distance with lips parted, breath shallow, and pupils blown wide with desire.

It was Emma who was first to speak, muttering. "Sorry…" because she hadn't known what else to say and didn't exactly trust her mouth in that moment. Her head had felt like it was literally in the clouds.

"Don't be," was the English teacher's breathy response.

Emma's pale lips curled into a helpless smile at those two simple words. She didn't mind at all that they had just kissed. She certainly hope that this didn't come as a problem in the future, but then at the same time, she hoped that it wouldn't be forgotten, either. The blonde knew that she would never be able to forget it.

She tasted like apples and caramel coffee.

It wasn't until the brunette had cleared her throat, did Emma break from her mused thoughts. She pulled her hand from the other woman's hip- in which she had just remembered- and reached for the door handle.

"Thank you… for giving me a ride." Emma whispered, pulling the handle to pop the door open. "Goodnight, I hope you have a good one."

"Any time, dear. And, thank you, Emma. And goodnight, dear." The words were much lighter and airy than they had been all night. And they had made the blonde smile.

That smile hadn't left her lips, even as she reached her bedroom after a few questions from Mary Margaret regarding her trip to the library. The woman never protested her hanging out there for hours on end. It had become something of her thing when she had a busy mind. Her foster mother didn't want to keep her from it, and had learned that it was better to let her go, rather than keep her unhappy and locked up.

"Goodnight, Emma!" she heard both voices chime from downstairs.

"'Night!" she replied, flopping onto her bed.

If there had been any other night that she had dubbed the best, this would easily surpass it. Because this night-  _and that very moment_ \- had been the best in her entire life. Despite the way the day had started, of course, she still didn't really like that bit. But she would do it again if it were to end as it did tonight.

And with a smile spread wide across Emma's face, she closed her eyes and let the darkness take over. Tomorrow was going to be a good day, she was sure. She would float on a cloud the entire time. She couldn't wait to see the English teacher once again. Hopefully slumber would approach quickly.


	9. Regina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read a few requests to write in Regina's POV and I had figured that, after what had happened, it would be appropriate to get inside of her head for a chapter! I did a little switching some time in there to Emma, but it goes back to Regina. I don't know how good this will be. I've been a little too used to writing in Emma's POV now, so I hoped this works out and that you enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you, and please post a review to tell me what your thoughts are!

Regina Mills had watched as the blonde hopped out of her car, a large smile gracing her lips. What they had just done was quite controversial, both towards the outside world and in her own mind. She hadn't known what had compelled her to kiss the younger woman, but now that it was all over and the moment was gone, she was starting to panic.

She had just kissed one of her students.

_She had kissed Emma._

The moral part of her told her that this was all wrong. She really shouldn't have done that. She shouldn't have accepted that kiss as if it were a normal thing. Something like this could really get the brunette into trouble if someone were to find out. She was thanking her lucky stars that it was that time of night when most people were home.

The more emotional part of Regina's brain had been on an elated cloud. She knew what was going to happen from the time Emma turned towards her to the closing space between them. They were going to kiss. And she honestly did not see anything wrong with it- or at least at the time.

Regina had kissed Emma, thinking it was a wise decision at the time to give into the feelings swirling within her like a tornado. All sense had left upon tasting the blonde's lips, which were slightly salty from what she assumed had been the potato chips from earlier. It was quite a magical feeling, or so the brunette thought, because she  _literally_  saw stars. She could only wonder if Emma had the same feeling, or if it were only another unrequited emotion.

The brunette teacher had found herself slowly falling for Emma. It was strange for her at first, having such feelings and thoughts towards her student. She hadn't even realized what was happening at the time. Sure, she had grown to care for the blonde in a way she started to consider her as a friend of sorts, but she never managed to consider that it would be anything different aside from that. It wasn't until Emma spoke of Graham did she recognize her true feelings. She had felt jealous at the time and it had deeply confused her. The idea of Emma having a  _boyfriend_  just sent her heart sinking to her feet. Thinking about it now, she must have seemed a little too concerned about that particular fact upon asking Emma the question. Never again assume, she told herself.

Even after Emma had confirmed that he was just a friend to her, Regina had set her feelings aside and ignored them. She couldn't act upon those emotions, even if she was quite certain that the blonde had it in for her. She wasn't blind nor stupid. She saw the way Emma immediately averted her gaze every time the brunette looked up. Sometimes she could feel those emerald eyes boring into her from afar and knew that she was under the ever watchful gaze of the blonde teenager. The thought had sent shivers coursing through her body. It was, yes, so very wrong, she thought. But the blonde had reawakened something inside of her that she thought would remain dormant for the rest of her life. She never thought she would be feeling so much for another person, and to find her where Cora had sent her to  _not_  find such a happiness. It was a miracle to be had, but also a forbidden one. It was an impossibility for the two to be together and for more reasons than just one.

That was why Regina had remained quiet and subtle upon her quiet shows of affection towards the blonde. She knew that she had been doing a good job at keeping herself quiet about the feelings that roared inside of her like a wild forest fire. Emma hadn't shown any signs nor had she taken the plunge into assuming the touching had been something far less professional than a teacher and a student. That was, until the water had gotten murky earlier that day. Everything had been coming down all at once on top of the brunette as she had overheard the blonde's argument with those two boys in her class. She had defended her, and that was something that the teacher had never had the honor to experience. Everyone else had always looked away while others had virtually bullied her, both directly and indirectly. But, then there was Emma. She who had stood up to the boys trash talking Regina when they thought she hadn't been listening. They must have assumed that  _everyone_  hated her, seeing as to how they didn't mind speaking such words whilst setting next to classmates.

But what Emma had done had made Regina fall into a much deeper pit of emotion. She had already seen many sides of the blonde, both mature and immature, both kind and aggressive, and then there was that protective part of her that the brunette could not breeze over. The young woman as a whole was everything that Regina had ever hoped for in a significant other. Of course, the age difference was not something that she was so fond of. That's one of the things that had terrified her the most, aside from Emma being her student (although, that was a constant reminder that nagged deep in her gut). She knew that the blonde was only seventeen years old, albeit not far away from the legal age. Her birthday was only a week away, for she had only known since Emma had told her in a prior conversation. But it was still an age difference of _twenty years_. Of course, she had heard of the saying that love knows no boundaries… But Regina just couldn't help that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was agonizing and she felt nearly nauseous when she thought of the cold, hard facts.

That kiss, though, had taken those cold, hard facts and made them warm and fuzzy. All of her worries had ebbed away, and in that moment, she knew what she had to do. She wanted Emma. But she couldn't have her.

At least, not until graduation day.

That thought had sent another rock to the bottom of her stomach, weighing her down with harsh reality. Emma was her student, even though she was much, much more mature and insightful than her fellow classmates. Every time the English teacher had talked with Emma, whenever or wherever they may be, she felt as if she were talking to someone her own age. The blonde  _did_  appear much older than her years when she got into deep conversation, but at other times, Regina saw the younger part of the girl that she really was. And that scared her.

Regina was a grown woman lusting after her teenage student. If that wasn't absurd enough, she might even think she was falling in love with the girl.

_Love?_

Regina had caught her thoughts right there and seized them. That was quite absurd indeed. She wasn't falling into love with Emma Swan. Sure, she liked her, and as smaller child would say, she  _like_  liked her. But not love, no. Emma may understand the needs Regina had, and yes, that did make the brunette's heart flutter with gratitude at times, and so did that smile that could easily reach the blonde's eyes when she flashed it for the teacher. As did the blonde's voice every time she had wished Regina a good day. Even on the very first day, that had caused her to smile.  _No_   _one_  had ever returned the favor to her before.

And those words that she had said to Regina just before she had left lunch earlier that day. Those words were never spoken to her before. Emma was the first person to care enough about her dignity and her  _feelings_. Everyone else assumed that she was a heartless bitch. She'd even heard people call her something along the lines of The Evil Queen. And with Lord only knows what type of rumors were floating around, they made her less approachable. But it was Emma who had stepped out of that current and shown Regina that there were still good people in this world. Selfless people.

Upon hearing those words, Regina couldn't stop the usual barrier that held her emotions in place. She would have been sure that they would have flooded the entire classroom if not were they intangible. Emma's reaction, though, told the brunette that she hadn't hid her emotions well enough this time. She had to have seen that simple little break flicker heavily in her eyes, for she had run quickly from the room.  
And it was just the reason why. But, Emma had thought it to be something entirely different. Or perhaps she had danced around the subject at hand. Perhaps she didn't want to believe that her teacher was  _actually_  falling for her. At least those had been Regina's thoughts upon her departure until she had run into Emma at the library. Once the blonde had opened up- and Regina figured that had been quite hard because she suffered the same problems- the teacher had seen her in an entirely different light. Of course, Emma had informed Regina of her past before. She had written characters that resembled her life in the creative prompts for class. But  _actually_  opening up and expressing her fears melted Regina's heart because, yes, she was the  _only_  one to hear of them and she had been trusted enough with this information. In that very moment, and the ones following, they had connected on a much deeper level. They understood one another in ways others wouldn't dare to compare. It was those similarities, interests, and past fears that had lead up to the moment in Regina's Benz.

That, and the way that Emma's eyes seemed to have absolutely shimmered like emerald gems in the dim light of the street lamp as they caught sight of the brunette. She knew that Emma had felt something. Exactly what, the teacher wasn't sure of, but she felt something similar. Like something had been missing. And that something would have closed off the day.

A kiss.

Strange, yes, but it was absolutely perfect. It had made Regina feel like a teenager once again. She felt flushed with anxiety and her heart rate rose to a remarkable level. She had for sure thought that it would pop out of her chest at the very thought of meeting Emma's lips with her own. The way that the blonde had leaned forward as if so subtly, although it hadn't been, made the moment far more intense. Her palms had become slightly clammy as her nerves had seemed to skyrocket, because it was going to happen.

Regina had found herself, as well, leaning towards the blonde as if there had been a force pulling them together. There was no turning back once their lips were those few inches apart. The air surrounding them had become so thick that Regina had thought she would suffocate if nothing were to advance. And that had caused the smallest of noises to rise from her throat, which she was quite certain that the blonde had heard.

But that hadn't mattered because at that moment, both had surged forward to claim the other's lips. Regina had been quite tentative at first, having an inner battle with herself. The brunette hadn't quite noticed that Emma had also went for the kiss, which had left the English teacher fearful as to how the blonde would react. Every fear had left her body once she had felt those soft lips move against her own.

To sound cliche, she felt as if she were in  _heaven_. It was absolute  _bliss_. Emma's lips were so very inviting and seemed so very familiar. It had felt just so  _right_. Everything in those few moments had felt as if it were rehearsed for many years prior because plump, red lips moved so familiarly sweet against thin, pale ones as if they were old lovers.

Regina had to remind herself that that wasn't the case and that this very kiss was frowned upon by most of society. If not for the age difference, it was for the professional relationship that they had at school. The harsh reality struck the brunette even then, but she had brushed it off in fear that the kiss would be destroyed from those very thoughts.

The brunette teacher, upon reluctantly pulling away with every bit of strength she had, could not get her mind off that very kiss, even as she crawled into bed several hours later. She could not forget the way Emma's blonde locks were like strands of silk between her slender fingers. How she wish she could play with those golden tendrils everyday and slip her fingers through the silky sea. Nothing would ever compare, she had concluded, tossing onto her side and dancing her fingers over the top of her pillow dressed in the finest fabric.

She felt so silly thinking of Emma so late into the night. Regina had a need to check her appearance to make sure she hadn't reverted back into a seventeen-year-old once again because she sure as hell felt like a goddamn teenager. It was quite strange that Emma could do this to her. That she could make her fall so deep into the everlasting pool of emotion. Regina had found herself falling hard and fast for blonde teenager and that was just  _frightening_.

It was frightening because she  _didn't trust herself_. She didn't trust that she would be fully capable of giving Emma all of what she deserved. To be horribly honest, she wasn't quite sure  _Emma_  would be able to provide to her fullest potential. The two of them were both abused by love, albeit in different ways. They were both unsure if they would be capable of it, loving and being loved. Regina had only ever truly loved one person in her life and that had been her own mother- in which case she wasn't sure her mother truly loved her as much as she could. Or at least she had never shown it.

But there was no comparing Emma with her mother. Emma was a completely different story and Regina just was not in love with her. It wasn't love. This was just… emotion. That's all Regina allowed herself to believe, at least. Perhaps that's all this had been. Kissing Emma was only a way to show the blonde how much she had actually understood and appreciated her, nothing more. They  _had_  connected, but who had said it was on an emotional level? It had been more psychological under Regina's pretenses, since they had shared information that had never been told to another soul. They were each other's listening ears, for they had no one to express their emotionally damaging pasts to.

The brunette teacher continued to berate herself with such information, trying to ignore the sinking in her heart as she forced herself to come to terms that they were nothing but ears for one another. Of course, it sounded like such a feeble excuse as she tried to dance around the more serious part of their relationship, but it had put a slight ease to Regina's mind. Only slightly. That gnawing in her stomach wouldn't ebb and the heard that had now permanently planted itself into the pit of that very organ completely set her mind on edge again.

Because there was a question. There was something that had continued to worry her, since her plan wasn't exactly representing foolproof. If their ever blooming relationship had turned into a romantic one, was it worth the risk of Regina's job and other consequences that she would consequentially suffer? As much as Regina had wanted to answer that question no, she just could  _not_.

Emma was worth the risk and so much more. The blonde had wormed her way into Regina's heart and rooted herself into the older woman's life. She was the only one to have ever bothered to worry about Regina in any way. She had been the only one to see passed the mask that the teacher had thrown on daily. Emma had even gone out of her way to make Regina smile one way or another, especially after having a bad day. And the way that she had entrusted the teacher with such confessions, such as the ones in the library, had been another act that guided Regina towards the riskier side of things.

Emma was more than just a friend for her, she thought as she brought a pillow tightly into her arms, hugging it against her chest. And she was definitely worth the risk. But how they should go about things was an entirely different story and the brunette knew she had to have this discussion with the blonde during their lunch tomorrow. They would need to abstain from affectionate gestures to avoid risk and Emma needed to know that if she didn't already. But that was discussion for tomorrow. Regina really needed to sleep or else she'd be functioning like the dead in the morning.

* * *

Regina was sitting behind her desk, whisky colored eyes surveying the classroom full of students who were currently quietly working on a test she had passed out. It was in the middle of first period class and all ending thoughts from last night had slowly melted into full-blown panic. Upon arriving at the high school and coming to terms with reality of what had happened, she felt guilty and nerve-wracked. She felt as if she couldn't even  _look_  at her students without thinking about that kiss with Emma last night. The thoughts that came to mind weren't pleasant, nor repulsive, but complete masses of panicked voices rushing through her mind like an auditorium full of chattering kids.

_Kids that I kissed._

Because she just could  _not_  get that single thought from quieting down. And she was pretty goddamn sure that her students thought she was about to get sick when she nearly stumbled over her own feet and paled upon realizing that.

Regina would have vowed to avoid Emma like the plague if she could, but the fact that the blonde was one of her students had ruled that option out. And her mind soon began to reel over the fact that that very blonde would be in this very room in approximately two and a half hours. Her mind began to race once again, trying to recall what she had thought last night before falling asleep. She needed to logically think this through, because she couldn't skip around this forever. Emma deserved better than some half-assed attempt to make things seem peachy keen when they really weren't. They needed to talk about what they had done, but for some reason, that had made Regina's stomach do somersaults. She wouldn't even know how to start such a conversation. Plus, her ever doubtful mind had come up with the idea that Emma might not even want to talk about it. She might even regret kissing Regina in the first place, especially after she would have gloated at the fact that she had gotten what she wanted. But, of course, that was Regina's own warped mind. She was her own bully and she didn't believe in happy endings because they never showed the slightest bit of interest towards her.

She was startled out of her thoughts when a pair of feet shuffled up to her desk. Well, startled was a term used loosely. Regina had quite literally jumped in her seat, eyes wide as she looked up to the student that wore an identical expression, their test in hand.

"Sorry," the student mumbled, handing the brunette the small pack of papers.

"It's quite alright, dear. Thank you." Regina's bewildered stare soon began to dissipate, although her frantically beating hard pounded against her chest as several profanities ran through her mind. These damned students could be so quiet at times. That was why she usually preferred picking tests up from their desks, or at least having them bring the paper to the podium. She must have been too distracted to inform the students to do just that, so they must have assumed to bring the tests to her. Regina would have to remember to tell the next two English classes to do just that.

It wasn't too long until first period had ended. Then second had come and gone as Regina had distracted herself with tests to correct. Third had gone without a cinch, since her mind had to focus on teaching the creative writing class for most of the period without room for other thoughts besides fine grammatical points. Come fourth period, her anxiety was back. Emma had now sauntered into the room, with an emotionless expression. Her insecurity got the better of her and she figured that Emma really had gotten what she wanted and was satisfied- or maybe not so. It was for the better, anyways, that they wouldn't dwell on such a thing. Regina's conscience was telling her that it was just  _wrong_  to have done it in the first place. The brunette could only halfheartedly agree, because the rest was focused on the good aspect that would come. But she really did have to think logically about this entire situation. Emma was her student. A student that was very much a minor.  _But not in a week_. It was forbidden for teachers and students to have such romantically inclined relationships.  _But she's only another human, as are you, that can feel love and compassion_. Their ages were quite large in gap. _But love knows no boundaries._

What was she going to do?

Every thought she had had been counteracted with another, which had left the teacher with a major migraine and a class full of expectant students whose not-so-eager eyes were focused on her as she stood at the front of the room. Her eyes zeroed in on a certain blonde in the back with smiling green eyes. Even though her visage had remained stoic, Regina couldn't help her screaming heart. She really had it in deep and there was no way of pulling back without getting hurt. This was going to be a long period.

After the lesson was finished and the homework handed out, Regina had replaced herself in front of her desk to continue correcting the tests from second period. She was halfway through the stack when she heard a soft noise coming from beside her.

 _Emma_.

Regina looked up from the paper, gazing at the blonde through the top of her glasses. Emma was nonchalantly playing with her pencil with eyes focused in front of her, but the smile on her face had given her away. The brunette sighed internally and attracted her attention towards the tests once again, trying hard to ignore the piercing pain in her skull.

Then she heard it again. This time it was a slightly louder  _cough cough._

Regina's head snapped up to glare at the side of the blonde's head, only to be met with a pair of sparkling green eyes and an airy smile. Her breath had escaped her then and she remained motionless. How the hell could Emma do that to her? She had  _literally_  stolen the breath right from Regina's lungs. And here she thought that that had been just a cheesy cliche.

"Get back to work," she mouthed to the blonde before glancing back down to the tests that were in front of her. Regina heard a soft groan, which she couldn't help but to smile at and it had only widened upon lifting her gaze up to where the blonde seemed to have obliged, and reluctantly so.

They had played that game for the remainder of the class period, where Emma would make a certain noise to disrupt the teacher from her concentrated work, then Regina would look up to see the blonde nonchalantly, once again, playing with her pencil as if she hadn't done it on purpose. But when Regina would have looked up quicker, she would see Emma smiling like a petulant child, looking quite pleased with herself.

When the bell had finally sounded and Emma moved her chair over to Regina as soon as the last student had left, she gave the brunette an entirely different grin. This was one quite similar to the one that she had flashed last night, beaming and easily reaching her eyes.  _That_  was another that had taken Regina's breath and had earned an identical grin from her.

"Hi," the blonde greeted lamely.

"Hi," Regina chuckled, playing with the pen that she still had held in her hand. She hadn't felt as nervous as she had this morning about having to talk with Emma. There was something about the blonde that had brought a calm aura to Regina with her presence, which had no doubt confused the teacher.

"How was your day?"

"I've had better." She smiled sadly at the expression that had found its way upon Emma's face. "I've had a migraine," Regina quickly mended.

"You haven't taken anything for it?" Emma frowned.

The teacher shook her head and set the pen down, turning her body to face the blonde teenager. "I don't have any medication with me. Now, Emma," she reached forward to grab her hands, cupping them lightly in her her own. "We really do need to talk… about last night."

"Yeah…" Emma's smile was quickly wiped from her face.

"As you do know, that was quite an inappropriate thing to do and I could easily get fired from my job for it." Regina quirked a brow. That wasn't exactly how she had wanted to start the conversation, but it really did need to be laid out there.

"I know." The blonde resembled a kicked puppy with her head low and a frown creasing her face. "I'm sorry… That I- That I did that. I couldn't con-"  
"It's not all your fault, if at all." Regina reassured, giving Emma's hands a gentle squeeze. "I could have stopped it, but I hadn't. Do not put the blame on yourself. I won't let you do that."  
"You could get fired because of me!" Her voice was rather distressed, guilt etching her features.

But Regina shook her head. She wasn't about to let Emma fret over her and take the blame if something bad were to happen. It was best to resolve things now, and hopefully that would be an easy task.

"I could, but they do not have to know, Emma." The brunette brought their hands closer to her, trying her best at a soothing look. "You have to keep what we did a secret, do you understand?" She silently nodded. "Good."

"I  _promise_. It'll only be between you and- and me." The blonde's green gaze drifted down to their hands, then had soon shot back up to meet curious brown orbs. "What do we do?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Regina was quite afraid she knew what Emma was insinuating, and her fears were spoken upon the blonde's next words.

"We kissed. It has to account for something, right? What did… does it mean?" There were unspoken words in those doe-eyes and Regina could echo the same thoughts.

_Were your feelings playing the same part as mine?_

"I… I don't know, Emma." Regina closed her eyes, exhaling a deep sigh. "Coincidences like this are frowned upon in society."

"I know, but… I do know that. I want to know how… know  _why_." Emma bit her lip. Right now would be the perfect time to express her feelings towards her teacher and only hope that they were reciprocated. So she blurted with a vague, "I like you."

Emma couldn't begin to explain the emotion that Regina was expressing. Her lips were parted as if she were surprised, but her eyes had contradicted her visage with a deep knowing.

"I know, Emma." she said, her voice husky.

"Have I really been that obvious?" Her ego deflated.

"No," the English teacher was quick to respond. "But it was quite obvious after yo-...  _we_  had kissed."

The blonde nodded slowly, her emerald eyes focused on their hands again. Ms. Mills had never let go. "What... what about you? Do you-..." the words died on her tongue. She felt as if she couldn't say them. It felt rather silly to be asking her teacher if she had liked Emma back. Insane, even.

The brunette hesitated for a moment, her eyes darkening in thought. It had terrified Emma, because how if Ms. Mills hadn't liked her back? How if she had just gone with the flow at the time? They  _had_  connected in some emotional way last night at the library, and even more so beforehand.

"Emma, I…" The teacher looked down to their hands before tentatively caressing the top of the blonde's hand with her thumb. "I  _do_  like you, too. But, I… I don't see how this is going to work."

Those words had made Emma's heart leap into her throat. Ms. Mills  _did_  like her back, after all! Although, her feet had found ground after realizing what else the brunette had said. Of course, Emma fully understood her words. She had never completely thought them through, though, since she had never imagined them to come this far.

"I know," she finally muttered somberly. "I don't know why I even chose to subject myself to this. I already knew that there was no good to come of this. I mean… I didn't even believe for a second that you were gay. And… really, I don't know."

"Are you gay, Emma?"

"Yes." The blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "I know that I had failed to tell you, but… I didn't know if that really mattered then, and I didn't want to freak you out. I know that there are some people that… that they tend to back away from people like me. They're scared, I assume, that we would hit on them."

"I know, dear." The brunette teacher bit her lip, her eyes lightly closing. "I've had that trouble when I was younger. I was so scared to admit my true self to  _anyone_ , including my own mother. But when I did… Let's just say my friends were never really my friends. They only enjoyed the lavish items I had in my home."

"People are assholes." Emma muttered, daring to give Regina's hand a tender squeeze. "One of my foster parents sent me back after I had confided in them. They were highly religious, and I didn't exactly think that it had mattered at the time. But I was dead wrong. I've learned to keep it to myself. Belle, Ruby, and Graham are the only other ones that know, and they're perfectly fine with it."

"They are, indeed...  _assholes_." the brunette teacher nodded in agreement, a slight smirk on her lips from using the profanity aloud, although she could very well think of much stronger names to call them. "You are very lucky that you have friends who accept you, Emma."

"I know I am." Emma nodded, but then paused her movements. "Uh… May I ask you a question?"

"It seems as if you already had, my dear." Ms. Mills gave the blonde a wry smile, which in return, had earned her a playful glare. "Go ahead, Emma. Ask me anything."

"You mentioned your mother, did you ever tell her that you're a lesbian?" It was an honest question, but the slight flinch and pained look in the older woman's eyes made Emma want to take it back. "You don't have to ans-"

"It's fine, Emma." The brunette sighed and brought one of her hands up to rub the bridge of her nose, the other still holding tightly onto Emma's hands. "And, yes, I did tell her. She wasn't at all pleased with the fact. It wasn't even for the fact that I prefer women, no. She wanted me to have children and that of my very own so the family name would pass on, since I am an only child." Regina tried to mask the sudden emotion that had choked her up. "Of course, I had wanted children myself. But only when I found the  _woman_  that I wanted to have them with. Do you know what she told me when I said that to her?"

When Emma shook her head quietly, the brunette continued. "She told me that I should marry a wealthy man and get pregnant, then divorce him and take the money and the baby. That's when I had decided to leave home and go to college. Remember when I had told you that I acquired a job in journalism and tried to submit my writings?"

"Yes."

"When that failed and I had lost my job, I had no money. My mother had disowned me for leaving her. But as soon as she caught wind that I had no job nor any money, she appeared with smiles and hugs. I was getting out of college by then and she said that she had found me the most  _perfect_  job. I had willingly accepted of course, excited that there was a slim chance that she had found one that had dealt with my personal interest."  
"What was it?" Emma quietly asked, frowning when she had noticed the brunette teacher's shimmering eyes. She squeezed her hand in hopes to comfort her.

"It was this job. Here in the small and lovely town called Storybrooke. Let me tell you, I have nothing against this town, but I had grown to dislike it all because of my mother." Regina chuckled coldly. "She told me that it would help me, being in this isolated town. There was no temptation and being a teacher, I just  _could not_  influence these kids with my, quote unquote, 'homosexuality'. I, of course, had to oblige and remain dormant so my mother would never find out or else I would be out of luck."

"What about now? Us? Aren't you worried?" The blonde frowned.

That's when Regina slowly shook her head, sorrow clouding her eyes. "My mother doesn't even call me anymore." Despite Regina's hatred for her mother, she just could not help but to love her dearly. And when her mother had stopped calling her every night like she had used to, the brunette felt a great loss because all that she had ever wanted was to make her proud. That was the reason why she stayed and abided Cora. She wanted to please her. But she must have done something wrong in order for the ignorance that she was receiving.

"And besides, I've earned enough money to keep on stable ground for a while. They pay teachers quite well in this town since there are not many willing to teach." She blinked back a few tears before returning her hand to the others that were now on her lap.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, dear. It's better off if she doesn't contact me. She only wants something when she does."  _Like if I had found a man yet. It's been over a decade_ , she added silently in her head.

Emma gave a silent nod, her eyes had not glued themselves to the four hands bundled together on the brunette's lap. When she did speak, it was a very soft whisper.

"You haven't answered my question."

"What question was that, dear?" Regina had donned a puzzled expression.

"I suppose you have, slightly… But it's not… I want to know what you think is the best for us. Should… Never mind, you know?"

"Emma, honey." The brunette furrowed her brows, catching onto what Emma had been trying to say. The teen looked as if she had wanted to hit herself and Regina knew that feeling all too well. "I understand what you're asking me, yes? We have kissed. Once. And that cannot be spoken of. I know your question and the answer that you want. What about us, since we have now confided our feelings towards each other? I still do not know the answer to that. But…" Regina nibbled on her lower lip. She was in an internal debate about whether or not she should even say the next line that has run across her mind. Logically, she knew that she should just walk away and not continue any sort of romantic relationship with Emma. But, emotionally, she wanted to take that step forward.

"Why don't we talk about it over dinner tonight?" The words were out of her mouth before she knew it, spilling like verbal diarrhea before she could even lay an attempt to stop it. "At Granny's after school, perhaps?"

"I don't know about Granny's…" Emma mumbled. "Ruby's there and I really don't want her saying anything."

"How about that lovely little sidewalk cafe?" She honestly did not know why she was digging herself into a deeper hole. It would only be harder to get out if she were to be in peril.

"That sounds like a plan." The blonde now wore a smile that stretch wide across her thin, pale lips. "Wait. It can't be directly after…"

"Why not?"

"Detention." Emma grumbled disdainfully. "It runs for about an hour. I can meet you there at about a quarter to five?"

"I'll wait for you here, dear. I planned on taking you anyways." Regina flashed her a radiant grin with pearly white teeth contrasting against blood red lips.

"Thanks," the blonde smiled in return.

"You might not want to do that just yet." The English teacher moved her hand up to cup Emma's cheek, giving it a light caress. The blonde had nuzzled the hand, moving into it with, what Regina had swore, was a very faint purr.

"Do you like that?" her voice dropped to a whisper, and her voice with the added husk had only made it that much more sexy.

"I do… No one's ever touched me like that before." Emma let her dazzling green gaze land on Regina's, her head tilted slightly into the cupped hand. "Except for Mary Margaret, but she's a really affectionate person."

"Good. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Regina flipped one of the seventeen-year-old's hands over and laced olive with pale. "Tell me if you ever do, alright?"

"Are we… really going to do this?" Emma asked tentatively, her eyes sliding down to their now laced hands. A slow smile spread across her lips from the sight.

"I'm not sure, dear. We'll discuss it over dinner when we have more time to spare." The brunette leaned forward slightly and whispered, her head jerking towards the far corner from the teacher's desk. "And there are cameras."

"Should we  _not_  being doing  _this_?"

"Probably not." Regina bit her lip and looked over to the clock above the door. "You'll be having to go soon, dear."

" _Fuck_! I mean  _shit_! No..  _damn_ …  _crap_!" Emma used her free hand to fumble with her backpack to pull out a paper bag. "Lunch!"

"It's quite alright, dear." The brunette chuckled richly, watching with amused eyes as the blonde struggled to pull a Styrofoam container out with one hand.

"Here. I think it's nachos or something. It smelled  _really_  good."

"Thank you, so very much, Emma." The teacher licked her lips, chocolate orbs focused on the container of food. "I do believe that Mr. Glass allows students to eat in his class, and if not, I will see to it that he will allow you."

"Really?"

"Of course! You do need to eat and I know that you cannot afford to miss that class." One of her perfectly sculpted brows propped up.

"What? Have you been stalking my grades or something? Can you even do that?" And now Emma was bewildered, her green eyes as wide as saucers.

"I looked  _once_  while I was entering in your grade for the last writing assignment. So no, dear, I am not a stalker." The brunette shook her head, an amused smile on her plump lips. "Now, you've got to get going. The bell is about to ring and I doubt that you want to be late."

"Eh," Emma shrugged and looked at their hands, giving Regina's a gentle squeeze before she stood, although she had never let go. "I wish you could come with me, because it sucks and Belle isn't here today."

"I'm sorry, dear. But I must stay here and… plan." She giggled softly and brought their hands up to her face, tentatively pressing her lips to Emma's hand. "Have a good rest of the day, Emma, and I shall see you after your insubordination."

"Yeah… Insubordination. Way to make it sound less shitty." Emma's cheeks, though, were fused bright pink. "But, uh, have a fun time with your 'planning' and enjoy lunch."

"Thank you, Emma." Regina tilted her head up to gaze at the blonde, a sated smile on her lips.

The blonde had nodded and turned to start walking away, but she was pulled back by the hand she still had a tight grasp onto. She laughed and finally untangled their fingers, nervously sliding them through her hair. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright, dear." The teacher shook her head and watched as the impish girl had finally left the room, which had now left Regina alone with her thoughts… and a delicious lunch.

She opened the container and took the plastic fork taped to the top so she could stab at the soggy chips of what appeared to be very cheesy nachos. Her thoughts wandered as she began eating. She didn't exactly know what was going on or what would happen to her relationship with Emma. They seemed to be moving forward, or o that's exactly what Regina had started doing. She didn't seem to be entirely conscious whilst doing it. Hopefully things would get cleared up over dinner later.

_Dinner._

Regina had virtually asked Emma out on a date without even realizing it. She was only digging herself deeper into this hole that she had started. She hoped that she hadn't done it for nothing because it'll be one hell of a thing to get out of.


	10. It's a Date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And here is another chapter! Holy hell, am I sorry that it's way later than usual. I haven't been in the best of writing moods lately, but I finally was able to hitch back on and finished this chapter for you lovely readers! Thank you for being patient with me (if not, I am SOOO sorry!) and I hope that you're still here. This one is extra long and quite fluffy, so I hope that makes up for its tardiness! Please excuse any mistakes, I hadn't reviewed over it quite yet, but in the future I'll be sure to get those fixed!
> 
> I would also love to thank you all for the nice reviews and wonderful ideas that have given me inspiration! It helped me out a lot and I greatly appreciate it. I do hope you enjoy reading and, please, leave a review to tell me what you think! :)

Emma Swan fumbled with her backpack, pulling at loose strings as she sat outside of Mr. Gold's office. It had been an hour of doing nothing, really. She had to write a paper explaining her behavior and  _why_  she had hit that boy. Of course, it was rather hard to write exactly why she had done it, since her reasons were supposed to be kept secret. She couldn't risk  _anything_  if it had meant that Ms. Mills would ultimately lose her job.

Of course, Mr. Gold had already known why Emma started the fight and that was why she wasn't suspended. She figured the principal had it in for the English teacher, or something of that ilk. Whatever it may be, he really wasn't going to be dipping a toe into those waters any time soon, if ever.

The blonde had sat for most of the hour, thinking about the lovely dinner that she would be having with the brunette after she would be released from this little hell. She thought it would be quiet, fast, and peaceful sitting alone in the office for her punishment. But she had been dead wrong. Upon entering the domain, she soon realized just where those two boys would be. They were serving out their punishments not two tables away from Emma. They had made lewd comments upon her arrival about the blonde and Ms. Mills.

She would have pummeled their faces into the ground if not for Mr. Gold's ever watchful eye. So she had grudgingly sat down and tried her best to ignore their comments. Thankfully the principal had put an end to all noises and told them to get to work before he would add another week to their insubordination.

Emma was now watching the two teenagers from the corner of her eyes. Each were at a different table, but with Mr. Gold's absence, they decided to make a game of it and had started to throw bits of paper at each other, all the while giggling and jeering each other in their version of a whisper.

She really disliked teenage boys. Actually, it wasn't all of them, but more specifically these two. And the only reason why she disliked them was for their rude and crass comments about Ms. Mills. Even then, she felt so very offended by their cruel words, but now, it felt far more personal. It wasn't even just for the fact that they were making those same comments about her as well, no. It was for some reason far different. It was foreign to Emma since she had never felt so compelled towards someone as she did with the brunette teacher. Whatever feelings that she had before were now far more intense and that was rather scary.

What was she getting herself into? That's what she had been asking herself ever since she woke up this morning, and the question had come more frequent after lunch. But those matters would be ran through later, because right now, there was Mr. Gold coming out of his office to relieve them.

And as soon as he had, she was out of that office in no time and on her way to Ms. Mills' room. Her heart was fluttering madly in her chest at the thought. Those two were virtually going out on a date, although she wasn't quite sure if her brunette teacher had thought that at the time or not. But whatever it may be, she felt anxious as hell.

That was, until she heard footsteps behind her. Her mind immediately jumped to the thought of Ms. Mills, but the older woman usually wore heels…

Whipping around, she came face to face with the boy she had punched yesterday. His jaw had ugly bruises on it that made Emma proud, but the angry scowl on his lips scared proud Emma away and replaced her with a more fearful one. The teenager was much larger than she and she didn't have much of an advantage against him, especially if his equally giant friend was standing behind him. In the class, she had an advantage. Ms. Mills was there to end things when it had gotten rough, and to begin with, the boy wasn't suspecting her to deck him.

Emma straightened her back and made eye contact with the boy, pushing her fears to the far corner of her brain. She had to show them that she wasn't afraid, which was a tactic that she used to use at her former foster homes. Stand up to them and hope that they back down. So she donned the most intimidating look that she could, scowling as she spat.

"What do you want?"

"You," the boy growled, taking a step towards her. Emma stood her ground, her eyes narrowing. She knew the hallways were barren, since most students were gone by now, and the secondary hallway that held the English rooms.

And the darkened rooms told Emma that most of the teachers who had rooms along this hall were gone as well. There was absolutely no one around. That also meant that the three of them were alone…

Unless the cameras would catch them and, Emma hoped, that someone would be watching. But with just her luck, they will have stepped away from the video footage to do something better.

"Why? The fuck you want me for?" The blonde glared up at the teenager, her teeth slightly bared.

"To get you back for punching me, you cunt!" Effortlessly, he slammed Emma against one of the lockers, pinning her to it. She struggled, her eyes widening.

"Would you really be such a fucking jerk and hit a defenseless girl?" She snarled.

"Defenseless my ass!" And then Emma's knee met with his groin, causing him to scream in agony. Taking advantage of his lost grip, Emma darted away from him and down the hallway towards Ms. Mills' room. Hopefully she could get there before those bastards were to follow her.

But, her luck was not so great that day, for jerk number one's friend, jerk number two, seized her arm, ultimately yanking the blonde into a backwards halt.

" _Fuck!_ " Emma squawked in surprise, her emerald eyes as wide as saucers. Oh, god, she hoped  _someone_  had heard her. She really didn't feel like being in pain today. And her fear only heightened when jerk number one straightened up and started to slowly limp towards the two of them.

"And now, you're  _really_  going to pay." He growled, not even giving Emma a chance at a retort before his fist met her face. The recoil caused both Emma and jerk number two to stumble backwards, and when she was no longer being held, she had fallen to the ground.

Pain radiated from her left eye and cheek, completely filling all of her senses. She vaguely heard the cruel laughter of the two boys before they had walked off. It was a relief that he wasn't going to continue because she didn't think she could handle all that pain at once. It had been a while since her last physical fight, not counting yesterday, and even then, she didn't get touched much.

And, fuck, was she lucky then because right now she hurt like a son of a bitch. She held her cheek, willing the pain to go away. But she knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Then sudden realization hit her as she remembered where she was heading. She was supposed to go out with the brunette English teacher.

_Oh, no…_

Emma couldn't let the older woman see her like this. She couldn't let her know that she was  _weak_. Perhaps she could try to cover it up with her hair. Sure, it'll be an odd look, but at least it would hide it. Now she really wished that she was like some of those other girls that carried makeup around with them.

Cursing herself, she picked herself up off the ground with a hefty grunt. She was left swaying on her feet as blood rushed to her head, nearly causing the blonde to pass out as she saw black. After a minute of standing still to regain herself and kicking her bag halfway down the hall to pick up later, Emma turned around and headed back to the main hall. Soon, she found the women's bathroom and entered. She needed to find a good way to keep her hair to prevent Ms. Mills from seeing and it was rather hard when she didn't know exactly  _where_ she was flipping those locks.

As soon as she lifted her gaze to the mirror, she gasped. Her eye was already starting to turn a sickly purple and there was a bloody cut on her cheekbone. It looked absolutely horrid, but she would be able to hide it well. She thanked whatever higher deity that it wasn't her jaw that had lain victim because that would sure as hell be hard to hide.

After fixing her hair to lay over the left side of her face, she left the bathroom and, once again, headed towards the English hallway. It wasn't long until she made it to her backpack and bent to pick the object up on her way to Ms. Mills' room, which had only been one door away from the bag.

Her nerves got the better of her once she had reached the door. She stood outside of it for several heartbeats, and in her case, that would have been quite a lot. Her heart was pounding in a rapid tattoo against her chest and she could feel her body just  _shake_. Why the hell was she feeling like this? She'd been in Ms. Mills room many, many times before. She'd talked with the woman five times a week. She had also been out with the brunette, although it hadn't been exactly planned either time.

Shaking those feelings away and sucking up her anxiety, she reached for the door handle and opened the barrier between the two of them.  _Funny_ , she thought,  _that would be a good metaphor for our relationship._

"Emma!" She heard the deep voice call from the other side of the room. "I thought you would have been here sooner?"  
When Emma looked up, the brunette wore a concerned expression as she pushed herself from her chair.

"Are you alright, honey? You look a little pale..."

"I'm fine." Emma forced a smile, because she was, in fact, the opposite of fine. Her eye was throbbing, her ass hurt from landing so hard on it, her palms were sweaty as hell and on top of all that her stomach was doing so many flips she thought she was about to get sick. And now she just lied straight to Ms. Mills' face, but it was something she was so very used to- saying that she was fine when she really wasn't. It had become such an automatic response, she could never stop it at times.

The brunette only frowned and crossed the distance between them, the spicy scent of Ms. Mills' perfume engulfed Emma's senses. "Are you sure?"

The blonde swallowed hard and looked away. She couldn't bring herself to lie to the woman again, but she didn't want to say anything else. "Are we still going?" she asked instead.

"Yes, we are. Of course." The teacher tilted her head, her chocolate eyes still mixed with worry. "I'll go grab my purse and coat, then we can leave."

"Alright." Emma nodded and watched as the brunette did just that. Normally she would take advantage and ogle Regina's perfect rump, but the pain had just been too intense and she felt as if she just could not concentrate. Therefore, she had missed the words that the brunette had spoken when she had headed back over to the blonde.

"Emma?" Then there was a hand on her cheek, soft and gentle fingers lightly skittering over the surface. But then one of those fingers brushed against the fresh cut on Emma's cheekbone and she flinched back in pain, forcing Regina's hand from her. The reaction had no doubt moved her hair, because the way the brunette's eyes were wide and had started to shimmer shown her immediate concern.

"Emma… Wh-what happened?" The teacher's hand moved up once again to Emma's left cheek, hovering over the skin so she wouldn't accidentally brush over the tender flesh.

"It's nothing," she shrugged, turning her head away from the hand. "Why don't we go?"

"Emma, dear." Ms. Mills frowned, the hand left abandoned in the air had curled into a fist before landing by her side. "Who did this to you?" Her voice was a whisper, the frown on her face was quite evident that she was genuinely concerned over what had happened.

Emma, though, wasn't quite used to someone caring like that about it. Sometimes it was quite smothering, or at least that's how it felt with the Nolans. They were sometimes a little  _too_  caring and concerned when it came to an injury, or well,  _anything_  really. She loved those two dearly, they truly were nice people, but she wished they would tone it down just a bit.

On the other hand, though, with the caring Regina in front of her, it felt more comforting to say the least. It didn't feel like she was being sandwiched between two bodies. The genuinity of Ms. Mills' emotions were enough to make Emma's heart melt, and the fiery look in her eyes told the blonde that she was about ready to hand someone their ass.

And she wouldn't doubt it for a second. After what she had learned earlier that day, and what the brunette's true feelings were for her, she could see the woman go apeshit to protect her. After all, she had done the same and would do it again in a heartbeat.

"It was that boy that I hit yesterday. He wanted payback, I guess." Emma bit her lip. Usually she never tattled, especially to a teacher, but Ms. Mills had just made her feel so unlike herself.

"Why would he do this to you?" All of the anger melted into sorrow on the brunette's visage, and before the blonde knew it, she was engulfed into warm arms. "We can't go to the cafe."

"I'm sorry I'm mutilated…" The blonde stated solemnly, her right cheek pressed against Ms. Mills' shoulder.

"No. No, dear. That's not what I had meant." Regina frowned, her grip tightening around the blonde's petite form. "I meant that you're more than likely in pain, yes? You need ice and medication."

Emma nodded slightly, but continued to frown. Did the teacher really want to get rid of her just like that? It seemed as if she were saving her ass with that last response like she hadn't wanted to let the blonde down too harshly.

"I'll start walking home, then." She finally mumbled.

"No." Ms. Mills was quick to respond and Emma swore she could feel the arms constrict even tighter. "I'll take you home. To… to my house, I mean. We're still having dinner regardless." Then she whispered. "If you want, or else I'll take you to your home if that's what you desire."

"You do owe me a talk." Emma muttered against the brunette's coat.

"Does that mean that you want to come with me?"

The blonde merely nodded this time, pulling herself from the older woman's arms. She was going to take her to her house. Emma just  _could not_  believe what was happening right now. First, they were supposed to go on a date. And now, that Emma had gotten hurt, they were going to Regina's  _house_. Anyone in their right mind would be freaking out, she thought as they headed towards the door. She was going to her teacher's house. Her  _very attractive_  teacher's house. All because she… She really cared about Emma's well-being. That thought made the blonde's heart swell inside her chest. Did the brunette teacher care  _that_  much about her?

"How are you feeling, dear?" The brunette asked, her hand lightly gripping Emma's elbow as they neared her Mercedes.

"My face hurts like fucking hell." Emma mumbled, grounding her jaw. And that was absolutely true and if she were to describe it any other way, she would be  _wrong_. "But, aside from that, I'm pretty good. Spending time with you evens it out."

That was a chancey statement, but she risked it. Emma was never one for sharing her feelings so freely with others. She usually kept whatever thoughts and grievances to herself. But that small upturn of Regina's lips that had turned into a full-blown  _beam_  was just worth it.

Anything that earned a smile like  _that_  from the brunette teacher was worth doing anything for. She quite enjoyed Ms. Mills' elation, which was quite odd for the blonde. Normally she couldn't give a hoot for another human being, but the brunette seemed to bring something out of Emma that Emma didn't even know she had dormant. Whatever these feelings that she had developed towards the brunette were far more serious and mature than she had originally. She was both excited and terrified to step into this current, but she was also unaware of where it might bring her. Emma didn't want to think about what may happen, because she was sure something negative would happen and all efforts will have been wasted.

"Does it really?" The brunette asked incredulously, as if she hadn't believed what Emma had said. As she waited for the answer, she dug her car keys from her pocket and opened the passenger's door to allow Emma inside.

"Yes." Emma simpled answered, ducking her head as she got in. Her gaze lifted to Ms. Mills who had been waiting for her to get in, no doubt to close her door. "I'm usually not… so expressive of my emotions, but for some reason, you just make my day better. And I really like to see you smile. It's pretty. I hope you never stop."

"Emma…" Regina nibbled on her lower lip, but the smile never faded. Her entire expression, though, had turned watery, and Emma swore that she could see the mist gathering in the older woman's chocolate orbs.

"How could I ever stop smiling when you're around?" she whispered softly, lifting her hand to wipe some of the moisture away. "You're one of the sweetest people that I have ever meant."

"I'm really not sweet." The blonde mumbled as heat raced to color her cheeks pink.

"Well, you  _are_  selfless." Ms. Mills brought a hand to cup Emma's face, but she soon dropped her arm as she had realized that the teenager's skin was a sickly shade of purple. "We ought to get going, dear. You need ice on that."

Emma nodded, unable to respond as the teacher closed the passenger's door to head towards the driver's side. The blonde watched each graceful step that the brunette had taken. Her body was like a work of art with perfect curves and a flawless, olive complexion. The thought of what lay hidden underneath those articles of clothing had Emma in goosebumps. That really wasn't something she should be thinking about, and she greatly scolded herself for it. This woman was doing a good deed by showing her kindness and concern over her injury, and the only way Emma could repay her was by imagining what the brunette teacher looked like nude.

"Are you alright, dear? You look a little flushed…" the deep, husky voice next to Emma sounded, resulting in a jerky reaction.

_Damn inappropriate thoughts!_

"I-I'm fine…" she stammered, her heart beating furiously against her chest. "When did you get in here?"

That earned an eyebrow raise. "A while ago, shall I say. You were staring at at the cement in front of you for who only knows how long."

"I was?" The blonde tilted her head, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. Shit, she must have really been lost in thought if she hadn't noticed that Ms. Mills had even moved from her line of sight, let alone enter the vehicle.

"Yes, dear." The brunette chuckled softly before starting up the Mercedes. "Perhaps you're in dire need of medication, more so than I though."

"Probably." Emma couldn't help but to giggle.

"Then we shall go." Regina pointed passed the blonde. "Put your seatbelt on, first. Safety first."

"Yeah, safety." And so she clicked the belt into place, looking over to the brunette once she had finished. "Ready?"  
"Mhm." Ms. Mills put the car into drive and pulled out of the nearly empty parking lot.

About ten minutes later, the Mercedes pulled into the driveway of what appeared to be a small mansion, and holy shit, Emma's jaw dropped. She stared at the white structure, unable to conceive what she was seeing. Sure, she assumed Ms. Mills was well off, but not  _this_  much.

"It's so  _big_."

"I know," the teacher shrugged nonchalantly as she shut the car down and unbuckled her seat belt.

Emma did the same, popping out of the car as soon as the doors were unlocked. She continued to gawk at the house, even as they walked up the path to the porch and white front door that had a large 108 in the middle of it. As Regina fumbled with the lock, Emma couldn't help but to comment.

"It must be really nice."

"It's just a house."  
Emma saw the look that crossed over Regina's features. She had become familiar with it throughout their lunches. It was that empty look that she got every time there was a mention of either friends or family. The blonde had assumed Regina had neither of those, or at least very few that she talked to regularly. It was strange what the eyes gave away. They really were the windows to the soul.

Despite the sorrow that had taken a tone to the brunette's voice, Emma decided to press. She normally tried to, worming her way through the tough exterior that Regina had built for herself. The wall had been cracking, and Emma knew that from the rare times that Regina  _had_  slipped, but it was still standing tall and heavily guarded.

"Why do you say that?"  
Regina sighed at the question and hung her pea coat up in the hall closet next to the front door. Emma had nearly forgotten she had asked the question as soon as she had stepped foot into the foyer. The house was just gorgeous and lavishly decorated. Her eyes caught the chandelier and her jaw dropped once again. There was a frickin'  _chandelier_  in the frickin'  _foyer_. She could only imagine what other expensive structures wait inside the rest of the house.

She was taken aback when Regina had finally replied to the question, which left the blonde confused for a moment before remembering why she explained what she had.

"It's empty. I have no one to share it with, so what's the point of all this…  _material_?" Regina turned to look at Emma, a bored expression on her face. "The house has become just another thing in my everyday life. It is nothing spectacular to me anymore. It lost its glow after I had realized how big it really was and how lonely I was in it by myself."

"Why did you buy such a big house, then?"

"I didn't," she whispered, walking towards the left side of the foyer. Emma followed behind her, soon realizing that they were heading towards the kitchen. She took advantage and gazed upon the walls around her. They were filled with meaningless art. No photos.

"What do you mean?" Emma leaned against the island, forest eyes tracking Regina's every movement while she began to prepare for their dinner.

Regina didn't look at her as she spoke, but merely continued with the preparation. "My mother had bought it for me."

Her voice had a sharp tone to it, clipping each word with no room for further conversation. She had closed up again. Emma had figured out the tone she took when she didn't want to discuss a certain subject. It only really happened a couple of times, most of them evolving around Regina's mother. Cora was her name. And she recollected that the brunette had told her that her mother was her support upon coming to Storybrooke. She assumed that it only made sense that Cora had also purchased such a lavish house for her daughter.

She assumed Regina didn't have a good relationship with her mother, and before, it really wasn't any of her business to be thinking about it. Regina was her teacher after all.

But now it was different.

Although, Emma didn't want to anger Regina by prying, so she kept her mouth shut about the topic.

"I see," was all she said, hoping it would keep the brunette sated.

"So, what do you plan on making for dinner?" Emma asked, dropping the previous topic completely. She saw the way Regina's shoulders had visibly relaxed upon the question and decided that she made a good choice.

"I planned on making lasagna." The brunette's eyes twinkled with amusement upon the distasteful look on Emma's face. "You cannot hate it unless you try it, dear. At least try mine." Ms. Mills purred softly, her feet taking her towards the refrigerator. After pulling something out, she retraced her tracks to the island and handed Emma an ice pack.

"Thanks…" Emma muttered, immediately taking the small pack to gently place over her left eye. "I'll try it, only because you're making it."

"Thank you, dear." she grinned widely and, quite tentatively, took a step forward to place a chaste kiss on the blonde's cheek. "Now, I'll get this put together and throw it in the oven, then I'll get the pain pills. Unless you want me to get them now. I will."

"No. I can wait… The ice is helping, thank you." The blonde couldn't help the ever growing blush on her cheeks.

"I can get them written up for doing this to you, Emma." Regina paused her work and turned a serious eye on the blonde. "They could get suspended."

"No, don't." Emma quickly responded, shaking her head. "It'll only make things worst, trust me. You know how people can be? They'll only want to smash my face in if they knew I tattled on 'em."

"Are you sure?" The brunette asked, leaning towards Emma. When she nodded, Regina sighed and proceeded with preparing the lasagna. "I'll create a seating chart so you wouldn't have to be seated next to them anymore, then?"

"Would you really do that?" Emma tilted her head, sticking a finger into the sauce that was now coating some of the lasagna noodles.

"Of course, dear." The brunette gave her a quick shake of the head at the petulant action, but decided against voicing her disapproval. "I can't expel them from my class without reason. Students get into fights all of the time. I cannot show favor…" then she added with a low whisper, probably not meant to be heard, but Emma had picked the words up. " _Even though I wish I could._ "

Emma smiled softly and watched Regina as she picked the now finished creation up and slid it into the over. Her head tilted ever so slightly as she watched the round rump that had taken her line of view.  
" _Me too,_ " she whispered, and the way that the teacher had stood stark upright had told the blonde that she had heard the response. "But, I know that you cannot in class.  _Although_ …"

"Although?" Regina walked slowly over to Emma.

"We aren't in class, so you can favor me all you want." Emma grinned. But, soon enough, her face twisted as she realized what she had said. "That sounds so cheesy."

But the English teacher had only shrugged and reached forward to take Emma's hand. "I like your cheesy." A smile was spread wide across her face as she tug on the red-cheeked Emma's hand.  
"Where are we going?" The blonde asked, following behind Regina as they had left the kitchen and entered the hallway once again. They crossed the foyer and entered another room. A sitting room, Emma thought, taking a look around at the lavish room with large, comfy leather couches and chairs, and a large television placed across them. She also took note of the piano laying abandoned in the closest corner to the door. That sparked a few questions.

"I'm taking you here." The brunette grinned and led Emma towards one of the creamy couches. "I hope that you don't mind waiting as I grab the pills from upstairs, do you, dear?"

"Of course not!"

"Perfect. Please, make yourself at home. The remote to the television is right there on the coffee table." Then she was leaving the room. Trusting Emma to be left alone.

That thought made the blonde teenager smile. Regina trusted her enough to leave her alone like that. Of course, though. Why wouldn't she? She'd already told Emma that she had trusted her, so why not prove it?

Emma sighed and leaned back against the couch. Her eye was throbbing again. The pain felt so unbearable at times, she just wanted to cry. That damn ice wasn't doing much to help her. In fact, it felt as if it were only freezing her skin and making it all the more painful. God, did she hate those stupid boys. Who knew that they had the gall to even do that? Emma sure as hell hadn't thought so, but was she ever wrong?

With her boredom increasing, Emma reached over to grab the remote and flicked the television on. And it  _blared_  so goddamn  _loud_ , the blonde was on the floor from shock before she knew what to do. Her entire body was haphazardly splayed out on the floor between the couch and coffee table, and the ice pack that she had previously held had landed somewhere next to a piece of the remote halfway across the next thing she found herself doing was scrambling to find the remote and it's pieces so she could turn that  _horrendous_  noise off.

"Fuckity fucking fuck!" she screeched over the noise as one of the batteries rolled underneath the couch. Just her luck. Break and lose something her first day in Regina Mills' house. She surely wouldn't want her back after  _this_  one.

Regina had found Emma arm deep underneath the couch, her face clearly shown her struggle as she tried to stretch for an object. And that was her own luck once again. No doubt the deafening noise had alerted the brunette.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina yelled over the noise as she bent to grab the ice pack from the floor at her feet.

The music blasting from the television was suddenly cut off, leaving a deafening moment of silence. It took a moment before Emma could regain herself and continue with all her might to reach that rollaway battery. She yelped a cheer as her fingers grazed over the cool cylinder, and soon she was crawling back onto the leather surface of the couch.

Her green eyes met with the questioning brown ones of Regina's, and she offered a sheepish smile. "The TV. I turned it on and… it was loud. I… fell and dropped… everything."

"Uh huh…" The muddy eyes drifted towards the now whole remote in Emma's hand.

"Which raises the question, though…" Emma's voice caused the brunette's attention to snap back up towards her. "Why the hell was your TV so loud? Were you trying to make yourself deaf?:

"Well, some of those students at school can be quite boisterous." Ms. Mills replied with a sly smirk.

"Really?" Emma quirked a brow.

"No. I quite enjoy listening to music while I do housework. I must have forgotten to turn the volume down before turning the television off."

"Why don't you wear headphones like a regular person?" Emma muttered, half for her disdain towards the TV that nearly scared the shit out of her.

"I am not regular people." Regina mused, taking an elegant step towards the couch so she could sit next to the blonde. God, was she so goddamn perfect at everything that she did? Even when sitting, she looked as regal as a queen.

"And am I glad. You're quite unique and I enjoy that." The blonde gave her a large, genuine grin, which in return, earned her a beaming smile.

"I'm glad that you think so, Emma." The teacher gently picked up Emma's hand, turning her palm upwards so she could drop the pills into it. "Here, dear. This should help ease your pain."

"Thank you…" Emma turned her gaze up to the older woman and couldn't help but to lean in. Her heartbeat rose and it felt as if they were back in the Mercedes. Whatever the force had been that had pulled them together then was definitely working its magic now, or at least on her. The brunette just watched her with expectant eyes and perfect lips pursed. The blonde had licked her own subconsciously before daring a chaste kiss to those very lips in front of her. It was a momentary spark that caught Emma's breath in her throat. When she had pulled from the small gesture of gratitude, her breathing had become shallow.

"You're welcome, dear…" Regina mostly purred her words, and when Emma looked into her eyes for a second time, she had noticed that they were much darker than before. Then she leaned forward and the blonde swore she was going to kiss her again, but the older woman's mouth missed her own and, instead, went straight to her ear and whispered. "Take the pills."

Emma nodded and obliged, popping the two tablets into her mouth before swallowing them dry. And as soon as she had done that, the brunette was in her personal space, their hips touching and their mouths only a breadth apart. It was almost dizzying and before she knew it, their lips were crashing against one another's.

And, holy shit, if the kiss in the car wasn't amazing enough, this one just took the cake. Emma couldn't help but let a soft groan rumble in her throat, especially when Regina nibbled ever so slightly on her lower lip. It felt like such a sweet gesture, as did the arms that enveloped her and ultimately brought the two together in a much deeper kiss.

The blonde pressed herself closer to the older woman, her fingers curling pleasantly into raven locks as the second tentatively explored further, eventually finding base at Regina's lower back. The brunette gave the most sultry moan that seemed to shoot straight to Emma's core, and holy fuck, she wondered if Regina was feeling like this too. She soon felt a tongue slide against her lips, tracing the crease between top and bottom. Taking this as a request, Emma granted permission by parting her lips and her mouth was soon invaded by the English teacher's sweet tongue. If she hadn't caught the spicy flavor of the brunette's mouth before, she did now, and it tasted just like the nachos that the woman had eaten for lunch. Emma wasn't always one for tasting her food a second time, but there was something about a little Regina flavor mixed with it that made the prior meal all the better.

And like clockwork, she felt a hand exploring her gentle curves, sliding up her sides from her hips to…  _oh_. Emma groaned against the brunette's mouth as her hands found a mound of sensitive flesh on her chest and squeezed ever so softly.

_Beeeeeeeep!_

The two ignored the faint bell coming from the kitchen. They had been so lost in each other and neither one wanted to let this moment go.

__Beeeeeeeep_!_

The reluctant time had gone off a second time. Emma heard Regina grunt with irritation, but she showed to sign of moving.

__Beeeeeeeep_!_

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Regina growled as she pulled away from the blonde and stood, sauntering off with an angered stomp.

Emma blinked, a stunned expression on her visage. She's never heard Ms. Mills use such language, nor had she seen her so  _aggravated_.

_She must have enjoyed it as much as I._

Emma smirked to herself, using the back of her hand to wipe the saliva from around her mouth. Who would have known how far that would have went if not for the timer. But, then again, perhaps it was perfect timing. The blonde's stomach grumbled as if on cue.

"The lasagna's done, dear!" She heard that familiarly wonderful deep voice sound from across the house. It hadn't taken long for the blonde to hoist herself up from the couch and make her way to the dining room, where Regina had already set the rather delicious smelling lasagna.

"It smells terrific, R... Regina." Emma smiled, her forest eyes on the steaming casserole. She tried not to look at the reaction on the teacher's face after using her first name- which, as Emma could recall, would be the very first time she had used it.

"Thank you, Emma." The brunette pulled out a chair and gestured to it. "Please, do have a seat. I shall get the dinner plates and then we can start eating." And she was gone.

The blonde had waited until she was completely out of sight before staring the lasagna down. Normally she hated the meal, but she was going to give  _this_  one a chance since it had been made by Regina. Perhaps it would turn out alright. Upon further inspection of the door leading to the kitchen, Emma extended a hand to dip her finger into the sauce.

"It's bad manners to stick your fingers in the dish before it's served." A warning voice caused the blonde to jump and don a sheepish face.

"Sorry… It just looked  _so_  good."

"Mhm…" Regina quirked a brow before setting a white dinner plate in front of the blonde. She soon served her up a perfect square before serving her own self. "I do hope you enjoy. It's my own recipe."

"I'm sure I will." Emma beamed, her eyes dropping to the lasagna on her plate. With the slightest reluctance, she dug her knife into the very corner of the square and lifted it to her mouth. As soon as she had slid the fork from between her lips, she broke into the largest smile.

"I think I just found my favorite meal."

"Did you now?" Regina emitted a proud glow in her aura.

"Yes! It's really delicious." And to prove just that, Emma took another bite, one much larger than the last. She was quite surprised that she had actually enjoyed the meal. She wasn't quite sure what was so different about it than all the other lasagnas that she had tried before. Maybe she only did have just one really bad one and Granny's lasagna never really cut the mark to be her favorite afterwards. There was always  _something_  that was just off about all those other lasagnas. But  _this_  one, and sure, it may sound as if she were praising Regina' just because she had liked her, but that wasn't the case. This one was different because it  _didn't_  taste like lasagna. It tasted as if it were a spicy spaghetti with large noodles.

"I am certainly glad that you find my lasagna to be up to your standards." The brunette gave her a wry smile before taking a dainty bite off her fork.

"I like it. I like it almost as much as I like you, and that's a lot."

Those words had earned Emma a speechless Regina and a foot in her mouth. Perhaps she shouldn't have said that. Sometimes she just didn't have a goddamn filter on her mouth. She really needed to get that fixed. So, for now, she stuffed another bite in her mouth.

"It's quite comforting to hear that I am better liked than the lasagna I make. That's quite something, considering that I'm sure others would prefer my cooking over the cook." The brunette had finally spoken, a wry smile on her lips. "Although, I do quite like you as well, dear. More than apples, even, and  _that's_  a lot."

"Huh…" A smile broke out on Emma's face. "I'm glad I'm more worthy than apples."

Regina hummed, taking another forkful of lasagna before speaking again. "And speaking of liking, we still have to talk."

"We do. You still have to answer my question. What do you want to do? About… all of this." The blonde gestured to herself, smirking with amusement at the face that her teacher had suddenly donned.

"Emma…"

"I know, I know. I was joking. Well, only sort of… because I really want to…" Emma set her fork down and sighed, running her fingers through her blonde mane. "You know I'm really not one to be so open with my feelings, and I'm really not used to  _this_  type of stuff. I understand, and I really honestly do, if you don't want to do anything about it. That we just continue on with our lives as they had been. I know this is risky already for you… I wouldn't want you to lose your job over me. Hell, I would understand completely if you were to turn away  _because_  of that. I'm really not worth the risk. I don't know why you've bothered to invite me over here."

" _Emma_ , honey, just stop right there." Regina's tone was gentle, and her equally as gentle hand reached across the table to the blonde's own. "You don't give yourself as much confidence as you should. I do understand that everything that we're doing is a rather large risk to my job. And I do know that we really should not be doing this, and I should know better than to let myself fall into this hole…"

"See, I knew that I'm not wron-"  
" _But_ ," the brunette quickly interrupted, her lips pursed. "I find myself so intrigued by you, Emma. I cannot stop these feelings that I have bubbling inside… The moral side of my conscious is telling me to just  _back away_. This isn't worth the risk. But in my  _right_  mind, it is. You're worth the risk and so much more."  
Regina paused and closed her eyes, rubbing the topside of Emma's hand ever so softly. "I've been having debates with myself all night and day, and I have been desperately trying to come to a worthy conclusion. And I think I have, Emma. I have your answer, even though it might sound so very crazy. Are you ready to hear it?"  
"I really want to speak with you about so much more…" Emma's voice cracked and she was quite sure that it had been noticed by the brunette teacher for she felt the older woman's grip tighten on her hand. "But… uh, yes. Of course I am. I'm scared out of my mind, though."

"I was thinking that… that perhaps we can…" The woman stumbled, as if trying to find the right words. And she was. It was rather awkward to say what she was about to and Emma could see the mild confusion in those brown pools. "We can test this out. If you want to, Emma."

"You mean… Do you mean that we can try to have a relationship?"

"That's… I was thinking something along the lines of testing those waters out, dear. We would have to keep quiet, though. No one inside the school can know. Nor anyone outside for that matter…"

"I understand." Emma nodded, a smile creeping onto her lips. Suddenly she felt so much lighter than before. There was a fear that she would float into the clouds if she felt any more lightweight. "No one will know."

"Emma? Do you… want to try it?" The brunette asked tentatively, and when Emma looked up, her heart broke. Regina had looked as if she were expecting to be rejected and kept any other expectation low, which was something that the blonde was quite sure she had felt often with others.

"Of course." And just like that, those fears swirling in chocolate eyes were vanquished and replaced with elation.

"Really?" Regina's smile turned Emma into putty, and the blonde just nodded.

"Why wouldn't I? You're a wonderful woman, Regina. You're kind, you're sweet, and you're so very caring. You've shown me more of those qualities in five minutes than I've had in my entire life." She carefully gave the older woman's hand a squeeze. "And I am completely  _honored_  that you like me back and that you actually want to try something like  _this_. That you've virtually invited me on a date already."

This time Regina could not stop the tears from falling down her cheeks, which had been painted a rosy pink. That had made Emma slightly panic, and soon she was whispering soothing words while stroking the hand that held hers.  
"Don't cry… I didn't…"

"Oh, Emma… It's not your fault. It's just that… I've made the right decision for the first time in my life. I chose  _you_. I know it may be quite… strange right now, but stepping into these waters, testing them out, I can tell that it will have been the best thing that I have done- even if it were to end in heartbreak." The brunette had a watery smile on her plum lip, the gesture leaving her with a shaky breath. "No one has ever said such things to me before."  
"Well, we  _are_  on a date. Am I not supposed to be flattering you?" Holy shit did Emma hope she was saying the right things. She really didn't know how to act with someone when on a date. She had never been on one before, let alone had a  _girlfriend_ \- or what it may be that they were right now. She hadn't had anyone so  _intimately_  before.

"A date…" The brunette snuffled, wiping the tear tracks off her cheeks. "I suppose this should be our first one?"

"Well, if you wanted to play like that, yeah." The blonde nodded. "I don't know what people do on dates, so…"

"Honestly, I've never been on a good one, so neither do I." She chuckled and sniffled again.

"A good one? You've been on dates before?" Emma blinked. She hadn't thought Regina would be the type to go on a date, especially since she had tried to keep her sexuality a secret.

"Yes…" The brunette rolled her eyes. "They were with men that my mother had set up with me when I had first moved here. They were all unsuccessful and quite boring. Most of the time I had ended up telling them that I preferred women to get entertainment."

"Holy shit, really? What'd they do?"

"One of them just nodded and said 'knew it' before getting up and walking out, leaving me with the bill." She wrinkled her nose at the memory. "Another one had been homophobic and I nearly thought he was going to have a brain aneurysm with the fact. He, also, got up and left, but not without showing me what he really thought and dumped the rest of his meal on my  _very_  expensive dress. Mother was not happy about that one."

"What an asshole…" Emma commented with a frown, squeezing the teacher's hand. "I hate those people. Did he tell you that you were going to hell?"

"That among other things." Regina muttered bitterly. "The other guys weren't as bad. I mean, I caught them by surprise, though. One of them blatantly stated that I was 'too hot to be a lesbian' and the other said that it was 'cool' that I 'digged chicks' and that he would too if he were one because he liked 'tits too much.' We had remarkably talked for a few hours, but after that, we went our separate ways and I hadn't heard from him since."

"Sounds like you sure as hell had a lot of fun back then." Emma couldn't help but laugh at what the other woman had told her. "Have you had any dates with women?"

"Not dates, per say…" And that had made the brunette squirm uncomfortably in her spot. Emma stared at her with wide, green eyes when sudden realization struck.

"You mean… you mean you had  _booty calls_?"

"Now, that's just crass!" Regina protested, but the blush blooming on her cheeks gave her away. "They weren't  _booty calls_ , Emma. They were…"

"Where the hell did you pick 'em up from if you didn't date them?"

"No where. Just… I do not wish to have this conversation with you. It does not make me feel comfortable."

"But…"

" _Please_."

" _Fine_. I'll drop it. Only because it looks as if your head is going to explode." Emma smirked.

"Shut up…" Regina mumbled before releasing her grip on Emma's hand to stand up. "Why don't you go to the living room and pick out a movie while I put the dishes away? I suppose a proper date requires a good film?"

"And… popcorn?"

"I'll make popcorn as well."

"You're awesome." The blonde grinned widely at the brunette before hopping off across the house to the sitting room.

It wasn't long before the two of them were sitting side by side on the large, leather sofa with a bowl of popcorn on Emma's legs. The blonde had already popped the DVD into its player and hid the case to surprise Regina with the title. It had come to a surprise to her as she had discovered the movie in her teacher's collection. It was one of her own favorites, as was many of the others the brunette had. Whatever uptight thoughts remaining about the brunette that Emma had were quickly gone because this woman enjoy gore, and damned good amounts of it too, considering the large amount of movies she had in her collection. The vast majority of Regina's movie collection were both that, and romantic, sappy films- mostly those Lifetime ones that Emma had steered clear of, because she would die before having to touch one of those with a ten foot pole.

"What movie did you pick, dear?" The brunette asked innocently, her eyes roving over the coffee table as she searched the case. That had only made Emma smirk.

"You'll see."  _and we'll probably want to rethink this popcorn_ , she added silently. Because, yeah, she chose a gorey and  _disgusting_  movie to watch. That film should be illegal in all planets of the universe and should be burned at some sort of stake. But, goddamn, did she  _love_  it.

"Emma..?"

The blonde had skipped every preview up to the warning screen with a wide, knowing smile on her face. "It's probably not date material, but I'm not a fan of those sappy rom-coms."

"... someone found my horror selection, I take it." Regina quirked a brow, her eyes sliding over to the flat screened television as the title screen popped up. " _The Human Centipede_ , Emma… Really?"

"Yeah… popcorn probably won't be…" The blonde wrinkled her nose and hit the play button so she could take a handful from the bowl. "Think we can finish it before the doctor starts doing the freaky shit?"

"I… uh…"

Emma laughed and playfully bumped into the older woman. "I didn't know you liked this sort of stuff. You're pretty demented, Regina, but that only makes me like you more."

"There certainly is a lot that you don't know about me, dear…" Regina finally found the right words to form a coherent sentence.

"Now you're really making me curious." Emma mumbled, turning to stare at the brunette with curious eyes. Just what was she hiding underneath those masks?

"Sh. The movie's starting…"  
With a pout, the blonde reluctantly faced the screen and focused in on the opening. It wasn't until she felt an arm wrap around her neck did she smile and forget about the world for the time being.

It wasn't even an hour into the movie when Emma heard a soft snore. They positioned had changed quite a few times during the film until they finally ended up in their current position. Emma was leaning against the arm of the couch with Regina's head lain across her lap. The brunette was curled up with one of the blonde's arms draped across her abdomen while the other propped her head up, using the couch's arm as support.

But when Emma had heard the snore, she looked down to see Regina snoozing peacefully. Her face was relaxed, her eyes closed, and, holy shit, she looked just  _breathtaking_  while she slept. The blonde knew that she could watch Regina sleep all night without getting the least bit of bored. With a warm smile on her face, Emma almost unconsciously brought the hand she had propping her head up with over to the brunette's own. Pale fingers slide tentatively through thick, raven locks, careful not to wake the sleeping woman. The sight was precious, especially when Regina's nose had twitched in the slightest, but that was before a loud snore ripped from her throat and she tossed onto her other side, painfully digging her elbow into Emma.  
She winced and bit her lip to keep from verbally expressing her pain, instead, she squeaked and brought her hands away from Regina. Damn woman was lethal in more ways than one. If not for that killer smile, it was those damn pointy elbows.

_Goddamn woman._

But Emma couldn't stay mad long, after all, Regina hadn't meant to do it, and that cute, relaxed expression on her face had melted her heart. Then she felt arms unconsciously wrap around her waist as a nose nuzzled into her lower belly.

"Well…" she whispered softly, grinning like mad. Regina must have been a cuddler when she slept. It was one of the most precious things that Emma had laid eyes on.

_Holy shit._

Was she watching some sappy movie that had made herself just as goopy-hearted? What the hell were these thoughts? She was Emma Swan. She was the  _motherfucking Swan beast_. She kicked ass to defend a woman's honor and she took that punch like a man when it was sent her way. Well, for the most part. At least she hadn't cried like a baby.

Emma needed to toughen up. So she looked up and proceeded to watch the film she was supposed to be viewing for the past who only knows how many minutes she had been fawning over the sleeping English teacher.

By the end of the movie, Emma had troubles keeping her eyes open. She hadn't realized how tired she had been until now, but that was probably because she had been running on adrenaline earlier that day in angst to see Ms. Mills. But now that she was resting and all of the excitement was over, the lack of sleep from the previous day had taken its toll on her. She probably really should be getting home so she could do just that.

Although, Emma didn't know the time, but she assumed that it was rather late considering the sun had no longer glowed through the blinds. She bit her lip and searched the room for a source of time, nearly grunting in approval upon finding a clock on the far wall.

It was passed seven. Mary Margaret knew that she wasn't going to be home directly after detention today, but she hadn't exactly specified when she would be back, either. Usually they had an agreement that she would be back before ten on school nights, so she  _did_  have a couple of hours yet. Plus, she didn't have the heart to wake up Regina. She looked so peaceful, and sounded much like someone threw a rock into a machine, because that woman could  _snore_.

Emma smirked at the imperfection that she had discovered. It didn't bother her any, though. She quite liked it. It made the brunette  _real_. And  _that_  was just  _perfect_. No matter what Emma could find that would be indecent or imperfect on this woman, she would always turn out to be everything that the blonde had dreamed, as cheesy as that had sounded. But it was the absolute truth. She always dreamed of having someone there for her. Someone that would love her as she had come and not try to change her. Someone who was very much like Regina with her kind, caring, and concerned demeanor that would be willing to take care of the blonde when she was kicked and to express such kind words when she needed them the most.

If she didn't know what was what, she'd say she was falling rather hard for the brunette. She really liked her, and she knew that. Her feelings were inexpressible with the use of words and welled so much inside of the blonde that she felt as if she would explode at times. And that would happen more often than not when the brunette did something that triggered those emotions, even so much as  _smiled_  at her.

Whatever was happening between the two of them was just the beginning and Emma knew that it could go one of two ways. It would either blossom into a beautiful flower and live up to its fullest potential, or wilt and die just like everything else in her life had at some point. Whatever it may be, Emma was scared as hell. She didn't want the heartbreak, but she also didn't know how to handle things if they ever got more serious.

Those thoughts were all too frightening and they were beginning to push Emma on the edge of unease. She really needed to think about something else for now. Perhaps if she just slept on it since the heaviness of her eyes seemed to be weighing the blonde down. Anyways, it wouldn't hurt to take a nap. She had plenty of time. And if not, she'd catch hell for being late.

It was totally worth it, she thought, looking down to the brunette still snoring peacefully on her lap.

 _Yes, so worth it._  Emma closed her eyes and leaned into a more comfortable position against the side of the couch. With her head lying back against the couch, she erased all thoughts from her mind and let go, evening her breaths out. The slight shifting at her legs only had the blonde smiling wider before eventually drifting off with ease to the sound of her companion's breathing.


	11. Secrets and Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yesss, I know I am late again! I might end up posting a chapter every two-three days now, instead of one every day or every other. I keep getting so distracted and can't concentrate, so it's been quite a shitty ride. But, I have completed it after spending five hours straight finishing it up! I hope you enjoy! :) Also, thank you sooooo very much for the nice feedback! I really appreciate it and they totally make me smile (especially your shameless suggestions!) I shall keep those suggestions in mind and I *think* that I have a few ideas down for that, soooo... Enjoy this shiny new chapter! And please, tell me what you think! (If you feel so inclined to leave a suggestion, please do so. I'll take it into consideration if I hadn't already planned something similar to it)

There was a prodding finger jabbing against her ribs that had aroused Emma from her sleep. The blonde, though, merely grumbled a complaint and shifted more comfortable in the spot where she was. Which, currently, she had no clue where the hell she was. It felt kind of lumpy and when she moved, her skin stuck to the surface.

It wasn't until another prod did she finally give in and open her eyes, momentarily confused by her surroundings and the looping title screen of a horror movie on the television. A much, much larger television than she had been used to at home.

"Welcome back, Emma." That husky voice sounding from beside her had Emma alert and awake in no time.

_Shit, that was Regina._

Then she finally remembered where the hell she had been and that, no, none of what had happened was part of a dream. This was real, and very much so. She turned to look groggily at the source of noise to be met with an equally as tired brunette.  
"I could say the same for you," she mumbled tiredly, a yawn soon ripping from her throat. "You were out for most of the movie."

"I do apologize, dear. I hadn't slept well."

"I kinda got that." Emma smiled. "Did you nap well, though?"

"I slept like a baby." Regina beamed, folding her hands onto her lap. "And I must thank you for that."

"Must you? You were so…  _adorable_." she whispered the last word before it had completely died on her tongue. "I mean, you just  _cuddled_  me… well,  _after_  you nailed me with your elbow. Have you ever noticed how goddamn bony that thing is?"

That had caused Regina to lift her arm arm and eye the offending elbow. "Well, I suppose that they are. They make for a great weapon?"

"Yeah, but not to your cuddle buddy." Emma hesitantly reached over to grab the older woman's arm and poke at her joint.

"Cuddle buddy?" The brunette blinked, her chocolate orbs on Emma's actions as she proceeded to prod at her elbow, for what she thought was really no good reason.

The blonde had nodded at the question, ceasing her movements only to wrap her arms around Regina's own. "Yes. You literally cuddled me in your sleep. I'm not sure what position you woke up in, but you had turned around and wrapped your arms around my waist. And just…  _snuggled_."

The new information had Regina staring at the blonde, her body slightly rigid. "Well…" then a rosy blush bloomed vividly onto her cheeks.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. I liked it." Emma reassured, the cheesiest smile on her pale lips. "Although, I've never been much of an affectionate person."

"I'll try not to-"

"But… I like the cuddly Regina." Emma whispered softly. "You didn't let me finish. I'm not much of an affectionate person, but I wouldn't protest to it if given to me… by you, at least." The blonde offered a sheepish smile before finally releasing the English teacher's arm, then tried to scoot even closer against the brunette. "I don't know what it is, but whenever I'm with you, I feel… at a sort of peace."

"You do?" Regina's arm slowly found its way around the blonde's waist, the warmest of smiles molding her lips.

Emma only nodded as she leaned into the older woman's arms, one of her own awkwardly wrapping around her abdomen. She really wasn't much of an affectionate person and it had always felt awkward when she was involved in situations that involve hugging and the like. The blonde usually found herself awkwardly returning the gesture or just plain freezing up in her spot, not even as much as lift an arm. Rarely did she ever initiate such a thing, and even when she did, she always had this  _fear_  of being rejected. She supposed that it had been one of the many perks that she had gained throughout her life in what she liked to refer to as hell.

But with Regina, everything always felt so different. She actually  _wanted_  to be touched by her, albeit it was quite strange and foreign, but it felt as if she were floating on a celestial cloud whenever she was around this woman. These feelings that she had for Regina were far from the juvenile crush that it all had originated with. They had developed into something far more advanced than what Emma thought she could even handle because her heart felt small, and way too small to harbor all the  _love_  that she should be able to offer the brunette.

Whatever was happening between the two would just not be fair for Regina, because Emma felt as if she couldn't give her all of what she deserved. The blonde had received very little love within her lifetime and had given out even less. It was a strange concept to  _love_  someone. She never knew what it was supposed to feel like- and if these feelings that she  _did_  have for the brunette were just that… Boy, was she just  _terrified_.

"Emma, honey, it's almost nine-thirty. Do you know when you have to be back?" Regina's husky voice broke the silence, which had been so very comfortable for Emma since she was easily lost in thought. Did she really hope that the brunette hadn't gotten bored as her mind wandered aimlessly.

"Mary Margaret usually prefers it if I were home before ten. So, I suppose I should get going…" The frown on her face showed Emma's reluctance to go. She really wished that she didn't have to go back. Being here just felt so  _freeing_  and she felt so at  _home_ , even though her true home lay across town with the Nolans.

"I'll take you back, dear." Regina stated, pulling Emma close against her side and the blonde had assumed this was a hug, for she squeezed right back.

"Thank you, Regina, but I don't want to inconvenience you." And there was that ever modest Emma shining through.

The brunette quirked a brow and eyed her wryly before standing up with Emma still attached to her hip. "I'm taking you home and that's final, Emma. I do not want you to walk around on the streets alone at this time of night. It can be quite dangerous, even if this is a small town. Bad things can still happen. The sheriff is your father, correct? He should know."

"I know…" Emma mock pouted. "I'll go with you,  _Ms. Mills_."

Both of her eyebrows rose this time in perfectly manicured arches. "I thought you've took habit of addressing me by my first name,  _Ms. Swan_." Although her voice was monotonous, the amused smile on her face had given away her perspective. Emma smirked.

"Well, you  _are_  my teacher after all."

"Don't remind me." Regina mumbled, flicking a blonde lock away from Emma's face. "I'd really rather not think about such details for a while."

"I'm… sorry. I…"

Emma frowned, her brows knitted together. She hadn't realized that Regina didn't like that thought, and it was going to be quite a strange thing, considering that Emma had her class. Everyday would be a reminder to the two of them that they were in a forbidden relationship. That they were a teacher and a student.

Although, the thought  _did_  thrill Emma to a certain extent. She entertained the fact that she was virtually dating her teacher. She was able to see behind the usual professional mask and know more about the teacher than anyone else would ever dream. The blonde was able to see Regina in the more intimate moments that no one else would ever experience. It was a thrilling thought, and when she sat in the back of the English instructor's classroom, she felt so  _special_  for once in her life. She felt so special that  _the_  Ms. Mills had chosen  _her_.

"It's fine, dear. We have to face the harsh reality of it some time." Her voice had now taken a solemn tone and the usual joyful spark in those whisky orbs had died.

"I wish we could live obliviously and not have to worry." Emma nibbled on her lower lip. The two of them had started moving towards the front door now and it wasn't until they had reached the Mercedes did Emma realize she had left her bag in the car. "But then that would mean that  _everyone else_  would have to be blind as well."

"Indeed it does, my dear." Regina sighed as she slid into the driver's seat of the vehicle. She then proceeded to fasten her seat belt and start up the Mercedes before pulling out of the driveway and onto the paved street.

"Do you regret it?" The blonde finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"Regret what?"

"Liking me." The blonde said quietly. "I know it's been like, what, one day? Well, since we confessed to each other… But… What I mean is that do you regret liking me because you could be liking someone else that wouldn't be so off limits to you? You could be liking someone that you could go on real dates with to real places instead of having to hide. You could actually have a  _chance_ if… I don't want to take your happiness away by forcing you to conceal your feelings so the outside world wouldn't know of them."

"Emma, please…" The brunette's words were nearly caught in her throat.

She didn't know where that came from. Emma seriously should never speak again. Her words were nothing but a lovely mix of verbal diarrhea that just would not stop coming out, no matter how hard she had willed it to stay in. It was inevitable.

"No," Regina finally said again, finding new strength in her voice. "I do not regret liking you. I will  _never_  regret it. For the kindness and consideration that you have given me throughout these months and the patience that you have…  _Everything_  that you've given me is special and I would not take back a single  _moment_ , even if it meant that I would be able to have a public relationship." The older woman glanced over to Emma, tears in her dark eyes. "I don't care about the harsh details of what we have here. I'd rather have to hide and have secret dates at home than have to lose you. Emma… It terrifies me how much you mean to me. It truly does and I don't know what the hell is going on. But what I  _do_  know is that I will  _never_  regret a single moment spent with you."

Now, Emma usually never got emotional- especially over such simple words- but here she was now with tears streaking down her cheeks. And it was right then, in that moment that Emma knew what love had felt like. It was quite strange to say that, and perhaps it wasn't a romantic love that she was feeling, but the feelings and emotions welling up inside of the blonde were just too much to handle. So the excess seemed to have decided to escape through her eyes.

What a bother.

It wasn't until they had pulled over at the side of the road in front of the Nolan's apartment building did Emma lean over and do that very thing that she so rarely expressed. She hugged Regina as tightly as she could, raw emotion falling at a rapid pace down her cheeks. When she felt arms take her petite form into them, a sob had wracked her body, sending it into minor convulsions.

"Oh, honey…" she heard a soft whisper above her, but she was unable to talk. Instead, Emma tilted her head up from the spot on Regina's shoulder and moved to kiss the older woman. It was nothing but light and sweet, all but a mere form of gratitude. And, perhaps, it had been more, but Emma didn't want to travel down whatever path that was. Instead, she basked in the moment, enjoying the tiny sparks causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up and the way that Regina had so tenderly returned the kiss, her plump lips moving slowly against the blonde's pale ones as if she were trying to freeze time.

Emma knew that was something that she very well wanted. She didn't want to pull away, and she showed just that by clutching tighter onto the brunette's arms. But then she was shoved back, not forcefully, but enough to pierce the blonde's heart.

_Did she not want this?_

Hurt and confused green eyes met with brown, which were quite wide now.

"I saw someone pull back the curtains in your apartment," she quickly explained, pointing to the window on the second floor of the apartment building. Emma followed the finger and squint, noticing the small, shadowing form of Mary Margaret. "You might want to go, dear…"

And for the first time, Emma had noticed that the brunette teacher was breathless. Her words were airy and her chest was slightly heaving in the inky darkness of the car. The blonde nodded, dumbfounded for the sudden interruption. Everything had gone by so quickly and that kiss had left her dizzy, yet yearning for more.

"It's Mary Margaret. I have to go." The blonde teenager sighed softly and began to unlock the passenger's door. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yes." Regina nodded with a pleasant smile on her face. "Have a goodnight, Emma."

Emma paused with the door open, her feet planted on the ground as she twist her body to look at the brunette. "You too, Regina. Goodnight." And with that, she got fully out of the car and closed the door, taking one last glance back before lightly jogging up to the entrance of the apartment building.

Emma heard the roar of the engine as Regina took off by the time the door had shut. It wasn't long before she was up the flight of stairs and turning to knock onto apartment number three's door. Soon enough, Mary Margaret was there with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Emma," she greeted, tugging the blonde inside. "You're cutting it quite close, weren't you?"

"Yeah… Sorry, I sort of lost track of time." she muttered, looking to her feet.

"Did you eat?"

"Yeah."

"So, where did you go?" the pixie-haired brunette inquired, dragging Emma towards the couch. The blonde, for the most part, tried to cover the bruise on her eye. She had nearly forgotten to do so before her foster mother had opened the door. Of course, it was inevitable to try to hide it because she was quite sure that Mary Margaret or David would soon find out and question about what had happened. That really wasn't somewhere she wanted to go tonight. She didn't want Mary Margaret to fret any and smother her in sympathy.

"Somewhere."

"Who was that that dropped you off?" She pressed, tilting her head. "That didn't look like Ruby's car."

"That's because it wasn't." Emma hadn't exactly told Mary Margaret where she was going after school, and she had never asked. She more than likely assumed she was hanging out with either Belle or Ruby.

"Whose was it?"

How could she just lie to her foster mother? Really, there were no other excuses and no one else that she liked enough to spend the day with. But, she couldn't tell her Mary Margaret that she had just spent the day and ate dinner at her creative writing teacher's house. Right now, Emma was caught between a rock and a hard place. She couldn't lie and say it was Belle, because her mother also knew what the girl's father's car looked like, or van more so.

"Did you make a new friend?"

"No, Mary Margaret. You know I don't like people."

"Well… who was it, then? Was it…" Then she gasped and went wide-eyed. "Did you get a…  _boyfriend?_ "

Emma grit her teeth and suppressed an eyeroll. For some reason, her foster mother was ever persistent upon her getting a boyfriend. Of course, it was her default assumption seeing as to how Emma had never revealed her preference to girls, but she still wished Mary Margaret would lay off pressuring her about finding a  _significant other_.

"No. If you must know, it was my tutor." And those words were out before she gained control of her mouth. Tutor? Well, she suppose that worked, seeing that Regina was her teacher after all. But, there was one problem and that was…

"But you have perfect grades?"

_Shit._

"Not in Government class." Emma found herself clarifying, and that was true. She didn't have that great of a grade in that class. "I needed help studying for tests."

"Oh. Who is tutoring you?"

"Ms. Mills," the blonde smoothly answered.

"Isn't she your creative writing teacher?"

Oops. "Yes, but she's much better at it than Mr. Glass." Emma shrugged and offered a smile. So far, she was telling the truth although around a white lie. White lie? It didn't hurt Mary Margaret any, really, that she wasn't  _exactly_  tutoring with Ms. Mills.

"Oh…" The brunette looked thoughtful. "She must be very nice to help you with that."

"She is. No one else thinks so, though." The blonde wrinkled her nose and sighed softly. "Or at least they think that because her class is challenging to them."

"Why would that class be hard? Aren't you just writing in that class?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I mean, she teaches it perfectly, but I guess they don't like the way she grades assignments. People say no one gets anything higher than a B in her class." Thinking back on it now from the beginning of the school year and how she had been warned the very same, Emma thought it was quite silly. She had been  _scared_  of stepping into Ms. Mills' classroom, but she was certainly glad that she hadn't skipped that class, because by staying, she had discovered that that was the best thing that has ever happened to her.

"But you have an A in that class?"  
"Exactly. The rumors must have just been started by a couple of students that didn't like her. I mean… I can see how they would want to hurt her reputation." Emma nibbled on her lower lip, going back to the previous day when the boys had been reprimanded by Ms. Mills, resulting in their repulsive insults.

"I suppose that is true. As a teacher, it's hard to get all of the children to like you because there's always that one bad apple that needs punishment." Mary Margaret eyed Emma suspiciously, but soon shrugged and smiled.

"Right…" The blonde nodded, fiddling with the strap on her bookbag.

"Are you going to see her again?" The brunette's question threw Emma off, for she whipped her head around and stared incredulously at her foster mother. It took a few heartbeats for her to register what Mary Margaret had asked and veer away from the lingering thoughts about their date, because surely the pixie-haired woman didn't know?

"Wh-what?" The blonde finally managed to stammer, green eyes blinking rapidly.

"Are you going to see-..." Then she cut the repeated question off, her mouth forming an O as she stared at her daughter's face. A hand slowly rose, hovering close to Emma's left cheek.

Then the blonde froze in her spot, trying not to react to the hand so close to her still tender flesh. The pain medication that Regina had given her wore off and her eye began to throb once again. It seemed to have gotten worse when her foster mother decided to hover her hand over the bruise with a finger lightly gracing over the purple flesh.

"What happened, Emma?"

"I was really hoping that you wouldn't find out." The blonde sighed softly and turned her head away from the hand.

"You do know that I would have found out eventually, right, Emma?"

"Yes. I know." Emma played with a blonde lock of hair, tugging on it anxiously. Now she really wanted to get away from Mary Margaret's soon-to-be interrogation. She knew that the brunette would question her endlessly until she would spit the answer out because it had happened several times previously. "I was just hoping to stall it… I didn't really want to worry you tonight."

"Why?" Mary Margaret furrowed her brows, her head slightly tilting "Did… Did  _she_  do this to you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Who hit you?" The brunette asked, leaning forward and giving Emma  _that_  stare that she just could not return.

"That kid that I hit yesterday." Emma shrugged and finally returned eye contact with her foster mother. "They got payback after we got out of detention. No one was around."

"Did you tell Mr. Gold about this?"

Emma quickly shook her head, eyes widening incredulously as if that were the most bizarre suggestion that she had ever heard.

"Why not? You should have so they could be properly punished."

"Perhaps, but if I did, they'd only make my life a living hell. I know how it goes, Mary Margaret. You may have to use authority over people sometimes, but there's such a thing as too much before they start hitting back… and endlessly if you continue." Emma explained. She knew that Mary Margaret didn't have a firsthand clue about any of this, and from time to time, the blonde educated her foster mother about the hardships that she had endured throughout her life. The brunette had been shocked for the most part- since she had grown up in Storybrooke- and said that she just could not  _fathom_  why someone would do such a thing. Obviously there were no bullies in her school, either, Emma had thought. She never gave any indicator to that.

The pixie-haired brunette was nodding slowly, trying to process the information that Emma had given her. "But-"

"Don't. Just… don't. I'm not going to do  _anything_  to piss them off any further. They'll know if I told anyone- or at least a superior that could get them into trouble. They'll just come after me and this punch to the face was enough pain." She stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Mary Margaret watched her through narrowed eyes.

"I'm… tired. I think I'm gonna go pass out for the night." Emma mumbled, running her fingers through her blonde mane. "If you need me, wake me up."

"But you just got home?"  
The blonde shrugged and proceeded towards the stairs that led up to her room. "But I'm super exhausted and my face is killing me."

"Alright…" Mary Margaret frowned. "Goodnight, honey."

"'Night… mom." Emma offered her a warm smile before turning around to head back up the stairs, but not before the wide smile that broke out across Mary Margaret's face. The blonde rarely ever referred to the brunette woman as "mom," but when she did, it made the woman absolutely  _beam_  and  _that_  had made Emma's heart expand in her chest. Usually the blonde was never one for other people's emotions- especially happiness- but upon her arrival to Storybrooke, her perspective had been changed greatly. Perhaps that's what it meant to have real friends and family.

Storybrooke was literally a life changing place for Emma Swan. The blonde never thought that she could have such a happy point in her life after living in such a deep, dark hole alone. But the Nolans had helped her out and shown her the light. They showed her the good side of life and what those good things could bring her. And they had brought her so much. They gave her Ruby, Belle, and Graham- all of whom accepted her and liked her for who she really was. The Nolans themselves were such a great gift to the blonde teenager. They showed her such love and compassion that the blonde had never known and had now never wanted to give up.

And then there was Regina Mills. That frustrating brunette teacher was everything that Emma absolutely wanted and needed in her life. She was like the blonde's rock. And she understood everything that she had gone through- to a certain extent of course. But she didn't judge nor sympathize Emma over the darkest points in her life. Instead, she gave Emma comfort when no one else would and the blonde could very much do the same for the older woman.

Everything that had happened between the two was rather remarkable and felt like an absolute dream. But god, did Emma hope that this wasn't a dream. She wished dearly that it was reality because that very frustratingly gorgeous brunette was her goddamn  _girlfriend_ \- however odd that may seem. But she was and Emma would want nothing more than to keep it that way. She was perfectly content at where she was in life and hoped that nothing would go wrong. Although, life did not work like that. Hopefully whatever thing that would be amiss wouldn't hurt her too badly. She'd been wounded enough and the mental scars seemed so very fresh.

* * *

It was finally Friday, Emma thought as she entered Storybrooke High, and it was her birthday tomorrow. Her  _eighteenth_  birthday. The blonde never thought the day would come. She had dreamed about it since she was a young girl, because that day would mean that she was an adult- legally, that was. That meant that she could get the hell away from any shitty foster family that she would have been staying with at the time. The desire to turn eighteen had grown throughout her voyage between foster homes and the stay with abusive or neglecting parents. That was, until she met the Nolans. Of course, by then, she was already nearing the age of eighteen by being towards the end of her fifteenth year. But as she had gotten to know and fall in love with the young couple, her desire to turn into a legal adult had wavered until it dissipated into thin air.

And, unfortunately, she was turning eighteen tomorrow, which meant she was going to become an adult. But, really, that had meant nothing. She would be staying with the Nolans until she graduated high school- which would be about five months from now. And after she  _did_  graduate, she would be leaving for college and leaving behind her friends and family.

_And Regina._

That thought scared the absolute shit out of her. She really didn't want to have to leave  _anyone_  behind. Of course, the drive to Storybrooke wasn't an agonizingly long trip, but it was still far enough. She hadn't necessarily discussed any college plans with Ms. Mills lately, and since now that they were pretty much dating, she really needed to. But really, there were no promises that the two of them would  _stay_  together and still be together when she did graduate.

Something inside of Emma, though, told her that they would still be together- and perhaps for a time much long after. Their relationship was already strong and the feelings that Emma didn't exactly express were whirling like a goddamn tornado inside of her. She was also quite certain that Regina felt the same- but she wasn't going to put any money on that.

All those thoughts and feelings were for something further down the road and should be addressed later, because right now, they scared the fuck out of Emma. She really wasn't ready for any of that right now. It was too damn early- in more ways than just one.

Shoving those thoughts away for later, Emma took her seat next to Killian in Mr. Booth's class. She brought out her needed notebook and a mechanical pencil, tapping it to a beat on the paper. Class didn't start in another few minutes, so naturally, that meant he would start talking to her like he always did. And it was just her luck that he was going to point out the bruise by her left eye.

"What happened there?" His voice broke the silence in the room.

At least barely anyone was in there. Stupid people always waited until the last minute before arriving to class. She never understood why, but then again, they probably had friends to talk to. Belle was usually in her class by now, as well, because she liked to get assignments done or studying in before school started. Wise girl, Emma thought. She usually did the same from time to time.

"None of your business." Emma mumbled her reply, making the tapping more furious.

Killian mock pouted. "Why? It mustn't be  _that_  bad."

"Just drop it."

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Now just leave it alone."

"Fine." The brunette boy crossed his arms, but not before petulantly sticking his tongue out at the blonde.

"Oh, how mature." Emma rolled her eyes.

"I heard you beat a kid up." He smirked. "Like on Wednesday. Is that who punched you?"

"Didn't I tell you to drop it?"

"And it was in Ms. Mills' room?" He completely ignored her. "I didn't catch the full story, but I heard you popped him one on the jaw for slandering someone."

"Where the hell did you even hear that from?"

"One of my friends, William, is in that class. He told me."

"What exactly did he say?" Emma grit her teeth. "Did he even know  _why_?"

"I don't really think many people did. He said he sat in the front, but he saw you glaring over at Jefferson and Victor."  _So that's what their names were. Huh_. "Then you screamed at them after Ms. Mills went back to her desk. He said you punched Jefferson after he said something when Ms. Mills tried to stop you."

"Oh," was all she replied, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

"Why'd you do it, anyways?" Killian asked, his head tilting.

"Why the hell do you want to know?" Emma snapped, dropping her pencil onto the paper. She was getting quite annoyed with his persistence. Normally, she would tell anyone the fact that she did win that fight- that was, until Jefferson had punched her back yesterday- but she really didn't want to reveal  _anything_  about her feelings towards Ms. Mills, especially to Killian who would surely tease her just as bad as Ruby and Belle, or even worse.

"There must have been a good reason for it. I've heard people say  _really_  cruel shit to you, but you just walk away. So he must have done something to really piss you off and act like that."

"That's exactly what Belle had said, pretty much." Emma murmured, trying her best to avoid the question. "And I do have valid reasons that I do not wish to express with you. So… Like… fuck off or something and leave it alone."

"Fine. Fuck. I'll just ask Jefferson or Victor. I'm sure they'll tell me."

Then panic shot through Emma in that moment and she sat bolt upright in her seat. Oh, god, he better not ask and they better not tell. Because if he did and they did, she was totally screwed. Killian would know of her crush because she was quite certain that those boys would emphasize the fact that she had been defending Regina and insinuate that there was something between the two, or at least something unrequited.

She had two options. She would either have to tell Killian the exact reason  _why_  and hope to dance around the subject, or she would have to keep quiet and hope that he was only kidding when he said he would ask the two jerks. For now, Emma decided to chose the latter option. Perhaps he wouldn't ask them, and if he did, he might come to Emma and confront her about it.

"Go ahead. I don't care. They'll probably just lie or something anyways to make themselves look good." Emma shrugged nonchalantly, trying to keep her composure cool as she relaxed back into her seat.

" _Whatever_." Was his response which had earned an eyeroll from the blonde.  
It wasn't too short after did the bell ring and school start. The entirety of the first period class was rather quiet with a few notes and worktime for a piece of writing that they needed to get done. That left Emma to her thoughts, although she had tried so desperately not to think of the outcome if Killian so happen to ask either Jefferson or Victor about the little fight. The blonde desperately concentrated on her paper, ignoring the sideways glances from Killian and the occasional stare at her face from her classmates. The period couldn't end fast enough for her, for she was out of there by the end of the bell and on her way to math.

The rest of the day from there was rather mundane. The pest of her life didn't bother to speak to her during either of the classes that they had together- although in gym class they were separated for the most part, in which she thanked whatever the hell that that had happened. No doubt he would continue to pester her about it, because she was quite sure he wasn't buddy-buddy with the two boys. And the reminding thought of the two boys made her stomach do flips because next period she would be in the same class with them. For a full fifty-five minutes. So for all of her gym class, she had worrying thoughts and high anxiety about going to her creative writing class, which had ultimately caused her to receive one hell of a stomach ache. That hadn't fared well with the physical activity that she had to do and she nearly vomited on the track. Suffice to say, had sent her to the girls' locker room to sit out for the remainder of the period.

Of course, leaving Emma alone with her thoughts had only made the nausea worse- but at least she hadn't vomited. Although, she wished that she had because she would have an excuse to go home and skip fourth period.

By the time she reached her fourth period class, she was on edge with clammy palms and shaking limbs. She was nothing but a bundle of anxious nerves, and seeing the two culprits sitting in the seats next to her own. Swallowing thickly, the blonde took her seat, trying to inch the desk and chair closer to the teacher's. It was just her luck that Ms. Mills had been watching with raised brows and a questioning stare.

"Did you make a new seating chart?" Emma whispered low enough for only Regina to hear. "I really don't want…"

"Yes, dear. I'll have it up on the smartboard in a moment." Then she pushed her office chair away from the desk to stand, a small remote suddenly appearing in her hand.

"Thanks…" The blonde quietly muttered, offering a sweet smile to the brunette who, in return, gave her a warm grin that had just completely melted Emma's heart. What a way to be so goddamn mushy, she thought. God, she really wanted to touch Regina right now. The woman was a walking piece of art and that wonderful look that she gave Emma made her want to squeeze and kiss the hell out of her. Too bad that they were in class right now.

"Of course, honey." Ms. Mills arm started to reach out towards the blonde, but stopped herself and pulled it back after realizing where they were. Emma bit her lower lip, giving her a look that she understood before the brunette turned to head towards the front of the room with a smile brightening her muddy eyes.

Ms. Mills leaned against the podium at the front of the classroom as students filed in, a mere minute before the bell. It wasn't until after the ring had sounded and all of the students took their regular seats did the brunette teacher announce that they had new seating charts. There was a collective groan, but they all stood up and obliged as she turned the electric board on to reveal the chart. Each student silently took their new seats, except for Emma who had been suspiciously placed in the same seat next to her teacher's desk. Hopefully no one necessarily noticed, or if they had, they didn't care enough to say anything.  
Emma was happy as well, for more reasons than just one. Jefferson and Victor were placed far from away from her, more specifically, across the room. And she was still sitting next to Regina, which had her quite happy because the older woman's spicy perfume had a sort of calming affect on her. It was rather nice and it soothed her frazzled nerves.

Far too soon, the class was over and everyone was filing out of the room like they always had. Emma stayed quietly in her seat, waiting for the last of the group to leave before bringing her chair over to her regular spot. But much to her disdain, a student had stay, and that student was none other than Victor Whale. What an ass. He was talking with Ms. Mills, but Emma couldn't quite get what he was saying. The brunette's facial expression was blank, but the teenager's was an open book. There was anger in his eyes, but a friendly smile on his face. She assumed her had asked about the homework from the past two days since they hadn't been there- or, well, at least yesterday.

Regina handed the blonde haired boy two pieces of paper before seeing him out and heading over to her desk. Emma looked up at her, irritation clearly evident on the brunette's features which had ultimately made the blonde angry.

"What was that about?"

"He was getting yesterday's assignment for Jefferson and himself." The teacher sighed heavily and heavily sat in her chair. "I can tell that he hates me. I can see it in his eyes."

"Hey, don't worry about him, Regina…" Emma frowned, taking a chance as she reached out and gently took the brunette's hand in her own. She gave it a reassuring squeeze. "He's not worth the time nor effort. If it weren't frowned upon, I'd say fail his ass."

"Oh, don't worry, dear. He's already doing that for himself." Regina softly muttered, gratefully returning the squeeze. There was soon a deep breath as she relaxed and let a smile float across her lips. "Thank you, Emma. You make me feel so much better."

"It's really nothing. I just enjoy seeing you happy." Emma tentatively reached up with her free hand and grazed a finger over the curve of her teacher's lips. "Your smile is really beautiful, do you know that?"

Emma heard Regina inhale sharply, then suddenly she grabbed the blonde's wrist and held it above her mouth. She lightly pressed her lips against the soft skin, trailing them up to give the pad of Emma's fingers a kiss each. The blonde shivered, her teeth grinding almost painfully into her lower lip.

"I want to take you out."

"Pardon?" Emma blinked at the brunette. The statement was so sudden and so out of context, she didn't know what the hell Regina was talking about.

"I want to take you out." She repeated simply. "To Boston. For your birthday. I want to buy you dinner… and at a restaurant. Boston is the safest place."

"Dinner in… Boston?" The blonde's eyes widened, those words dizzying her. Regina wanted to take her on an actual  _date_  to an actual  _restaurant_?

"Yes. Tomorrow night. I mean… if you want to come and if you can."

"I…" Emma squeezed Regina's hand quite tightly, earning a faint squeak from the brunette. "I'll have to… I'll have to check with Mary Margaret."  
Holy shit, was she really fucking this up? Her mind was scrambled with incredulous thoughts and her mouth was just as bad. She felt as if she couldn't even form a coherent sentence right now. Was this really happened? The statement had Emma so thrown off course, she was clearly in a pond somewhere. She fucking fell off Rainbow Road.

"Please, do. I'd… I'd really like to thank you properly and since it  _is_  your eighteenth birthday…"

"That sounds so fucked up… I mean… with our ages… and I'm… and holy  _fuck_."

_Thank you very much, brain, for the vulgar amount of verbal diarrhea._

Regina was staring at her with big, brown eyes. "I'm sorry…" she finally muttered.

"N-no, no… don't be. I'm just… holy shit, you're going to take me on a date. _To Boston_. That's, like, the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. You're incredible and I could just kiss you." And so she did. Emma surged forward and planted one right on Regina's awaiting lips, bringing the brunette to a halt before she could say anything more. Even though she had been caught off guard, the brunette was already kissing Emma back, her fingers lacing with the blonde's.

Unfortunately, they both had realized where the hell they were and what exactly they were doing, for they quickly pulled away from each other with flushed cheeks.

"Sorry… I just couldn't help myself."

"It's quite alright, dear." The brunette breathed, the widest and whitest smile on her lips. Then she began to chuckle, and oh, was it so rich and melodic. Emma dubbed it as the sweetest noise that she had ever heard, and she rarely ever favored a specific sound, so that was saying something.

"What?"

"You've seemed to have donned a lovely shade of red on your lips, my dear."

"O-oh…" Emma blushed, her tongue subconsciously coming out to lick at her lips.

Regina couldn't help but to chuckle once again before handing over a tissue from her desk. "Here."

"Thanks," she mumbled and gratefully took the tissue to wipe up the borrowed lipstick. "So, uh, Regina?"

"Yes, Emma?" The brunette smiled. It was still quite odd, for the both of them, for Emma to call her teacher by her first name. But, it also felt so very  _normal_ , as if she had addressed her by that from the start. Everything about their relationship, lest it be romantic or not, felt so very familiar and  _right_  that it was just plain scary. They rode with the flow, not questioning anything of that ilk. It was for the best not to dwell nor worry, anyways.

"Ready to eat?" she smiled cutely and pulled out the paper bag from her backpack with her free hand, for the other one was still laced with Regina's. She didn't mind. Honestly, she quite enjoyed the feeling of the older woman's hand in her own. No wonder why couples held hands all the time. It made them feel much closer and intimate with one another.

"Yes! I am quite famished." The brunette smiled, brown eyes watching as Emma pulled out two containers. She quickly passed one to Regina and kept the second for herself.

"I dunno what it is today. She never tells me." Emma muttered, mostly to herself, as she opened her to-go box, revealing a tinfoil wrapped something in there. She blinked and picked the food product, suspecting that it was grilled cheese. And she was proven right upon unwrapping the sandwich. "Mm, my favorite."

"You do quite enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches, don't you, dear?" Regina purred, taking a bite of her own already unwrapped sandwich. "They are delicious, but I much prefer pasta."

"Pasta?" Emma quirked a brow, hungrily wolfing down her meal. "You like pasta?"

"Yes. Is it a shame to like pasta?"

"I wouldn't think you would." The blonde teased, a sparkle in her emerald eyes.

"And why is that?"

"Don't they have a lot of carbs or something? Starch? All that unhealthy stuff?"

Regina stared at her. And then continued to do so without a word.

Until she spoke one word, stretching it out by its vowels. " _Really_."

"What?"

"I am not some sort of health nut, Emma. I really, honestly do not give a damn what I eat."

That took Emma by surprise. But then again, the more she thought about it, it  _did_  make sense. She hadn't seen the older woman eat anything particularly healthy besides those salads, which were long gone.

"Holy shit… You're my new hero."

"I'm your new… hero? Pardon?" Regina paused her motions to take another bite from the sandwich.

"You have  _the_  perfect body and yet you eat  _anything_  you want. I mean, yeah, I do that, too… But, seriously. I usually run, though." Emma nodded slowly before finishing off her grilled cheese with a large bite.

"I take jogs in the mornings and sometimes the evenings." The brunette shrugged. "Or walk around town for a while during the spring and summer. I do try to keep in shape, dear."

"You still look perfect." Emma grinned. "And your  _ass_."

"Pardon?" The teacher's eyes widened.

"N-nothing. Went too far. Do  _not_  mind me at all." Emma mumbled, shoving the ball-shaped tinfoil into her mouth.  
"What the hell are you doing?"

" _Nuffin_ '" she mumbled around the ball in her mouth. "I jus' shoul'n'talk."

"You just complimented my ass, didn't you?"

"Yesh."

"Hm…" The brunette smirked. "Please do not feel inclined to write an entire story about my ass as you did about my lips, dear."

"Water yew talkn' 'bout?" Emma plucked the tinfoil from her mouth, a blush quite evident on her cheeks. "That could have been about  _anyone_."

"Tell me, who else has 'perfect, red and delicious lips that taste like apples and caramel coffee?'"

"Shut up… and that was only  _one_  scene in that story.  _It was a character._ "

"Ah, so the blonde with luscious, golden locks and the brunette with silky, raven hair aren't us?"

"Nope!"

 _They totally were._  She really should have been far more careful when writing. Sure, she had turned this in today as an assignment and had written it after they kissed in the car, so it hadn't been like she was still crushing on her teacher and had turned it in dumbly as if she were trying to pretend it not to be them. She wasn't  _that_  stupid.

"Whatever you say, dear." Regina's lip curled up slightly to reveal perfect, pearly white teeth. "I did quite enjoy your story, though, dear."

"Good. I wrote it for you." Then she winked and leaned back in her chair, accidentally tugging at their hands which were still linked together.

"You're sly, Emma, I must give you that." Playfully, the brunette tossed her crumpled up tinfoil at Emma, hitting her directly on her bruised cheek. The blonde winced, hissing in a breath when a sharp pain radiated from her cheek.

" _Fuck!_  I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't mean to aim so high!" Regina looked absolutely panicked as she leaned forward, fretting over the injury on Emma's cheek. Her lips ghosted over the bruised flesh, lightly pressing every so often to give Emma's cheek a peck. "I didn't hurt you too bad, did I, dear?" When she pulled away to stare into the blonde's green eyes, Emma's heart dropped. She looked so goddamn panicked and worried, it just broke her heart. She looked scared, as if Emma would hate her for such a simple mistake.

"I-I'm fine, Regina. Please… don't worry about it." The blonde leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her teacher's cheek. "It doesn't hurt. Okay?" That wasn't a total lie. Of course, it hurt like one hell of a bitch when she was first struck with the pointy tinfoil, but after those sweet little kisses, it felt so much better. Regina was such a goddamn sweet woman and Emma just could not believe that she was ridiculed and insulted as a bitch. If only they could see the true woman for who she really is.

The brunette reluctantly nodded. "If you say so. I-I really didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it, Regina. Things happen." Emma closed her eyes and wrapped her free arm tightly around the older woman's small frame. "I still like you, and even more so now than ever. You're sweet and I know you meant no harm. Please do not kick yourself. You don't deserve it."

"Emma…"

_Bleeeeeep!_

"Fucking bell!" Emma cursed, glaring at the door. Of course it had to interrupt them and of course these stupid classes had to end. There was just not enough time in one period- or lunch for that matter- to do something.

"Sweetheart, you might want to get going." Regina straightened out, her fingers slowly unlacing themselves from Emma's. "I will see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah…" Emma frowned to herself, already missing the warmth of the brunette's hand. But she reluctantly stood and gathered her items to leave for her next class. "Please, have a good day and  _don't_  worry about  _anything_. You're still number one, yeah?" she grinned sheepishly at her last words. "And I'll let you know about tomorrow… somehow."

"Would you like me to give you my number, dear?" Regina had found a black ballpoint pen and one of the pass booklets where she had immediately began to write down a number before ripping it from the pad to hand to the blonde. "Here, Emma. Text me or call me after school, alright?"

"Yeah," Emma smiled and took the paper, holding it close to her. "I will. And I'll let you know."

"Thank you." The brunette beamed. "I'll talk to you later then, yes?"

"Yes."

"Have a good day, Emma."

"You, too, Regina!" And then Emma was out of there, floating down the halls on a cloud. Good god, she just acquired the English teacher's cell phone number. And, holy fuck, they were supposed to go on a goddamn  _date_  tomorrow night- of course, if Mary Margaret would let her after making up a valid excuse. She might have to have Ruby cover for her somehow.

_Somehow._

She never told her friends about what was going on between she and Regina, and she had never planned on telling them. Oh god, what was she going to do? She was absolutely screwed out of an excuse to tell Mary Margaret without revealing to  _someone_  that she was going to go on a date with Regina.

Emma groaned with frustration, slamming the door to her government room against the wall accidentally. She needed to figure out what to do, but for now, she needed to clear her mind and focus on class. She was already nearly failing this class, so she couldn't necessarily afford to space out today. Focus. Government. Politics.

_Regina._

This was going to be a long period.


	12. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And here it is, super duper duper late! Holy shit. My week has been quite hell, and this weekend was rather busy, but I managed to get this chapter all written up for you! It's really long, just a bit longer than chapter 10 was. I hope that makes up for it. Anywho, thank you all for your lovely reviews and suggestions that you have given me. They have no doubt helped me build the path to where this is going. AND YES. Next chapter shall be the date, do not worry. I couldn't fit it in here.
> 
> Buuuuut, I do hope you enjoy the update and bear with me over anything that may not make sense. :D Leave a review and tell me what you think! For now, happy reading!

_This is so extremely boring. Why can't he find something for us to do? I'd really rather be scrubbing floors rather than sit here, twiddling my thumbs as those assholes watch me. Okay, well, maybe scrubbing the floors would be a bit too much- but at least something was better than nothing._

Emma growled her thoughts, echoing those words inside her head along with several profanities. It had been absolutely  _boring_  sitting in the same spot she was the previous day with absolutely nothing to do. Mr. Gold had said that they should catch up on homework as they wait out their insubordination, but naturally, Emma didn't have any. She usually sped through any class work  _inside_  of class so she wouldn't have to bother taking any of it home. The other option was a book to read and, sure, that would have been no problem at all if the blonde hadn't finished the last pages in the first five minutes after her arrival.

Which had also reminded her, she needed to return the three books that she had borrowed from Ms. Mills and replace them with the next three books in the series. To say the least, Emma had been thoroughly entranced in those vampire romance novels and she just  _could not_  get enough of them. It was rather hard to put the damned thing down upon picking it up.

She sighed and slumped down in her seat, her hands poking around in her kangaroo pocket for really no reason at all. Her fingers grazed over the sleek surface of her cell phone, then soon passed over the plastic of her mechanical pencil and ended up fumbling with a piece of paper.

_Paper?_

Emma blinked and pulled that paper out of her pocket. It was a slightly crumpled up pass paper. She merely shrugged it off, believing that it was an old pass that a teacher never took, but upon further inspection, she had noticed that there was something written on it- and not the usual excuse words. It was a number.

Regina's number.

And Emma's phone was in her pocket.

And she was currently bored.

Careful not to let anyone see, she quickly slipped the phone from her pocket and hid it slightly underneath the table. Jefferson and Victor were both too busy not doing what they were supposed to, so they never took notice. And Emma didn't want them to. They'd probably tell the principal who, at this moment in time, was in his office.

The blonde woke her phone and went straight to the contacts menu to enter Regina's number into her phone, then selected the new message button.

_Hey, this is Emma. I hope I'm not bothering you._

Emma quickly pressed send and stuffed her phone back into her pocket. As she waited for her phone to vibrate in response, she leaned back against the plastic chair once again and sighed. It was still rather boring sitting here, doing nothing. But at least she had something to look forward to now, as she waited for a response from her teacher.

She let her mind wander at the thought of the brunette woman and Boston. Emma had tried not to think about it all day, but whenever she wasn't occupied with work, her mind immediately went to that date they were supposed to have. And then her brain began to panic over the thought. Like, how was she going to come up with an adequate excuse to go to Boston when it was with her teacher- or so Mary Margaret would think- since, in reality, Ms. Mills was her girlfriend. Or something like that.

There were many possibilities- most involved using one of her friends- for an excuse. Ruby would be working at the diner, or else Emma would have picked the brunette waitress. That would be a more excusable reason, seeing as to how she had her own car. But Mary Margaret frequented the diner often and usually had dates with David there, especially when Emma was staying the night with a friend. So, that meant Ruby was not going to be a liable cover for this weekend.

There was Belle, but she didn't have a car and everyone knew that her father, Moe French, wouldn't let the brunette teenager borrow his van and he sure as hell wouldn't take them to Boston. It would have been more plausible if Emma were to be going with  _both_  of her friends, since Ruby had her car and Belle would be able to tag along.

With those facts on the table, that had ruled both of her friends out as a cover to go to the large city. Unfortunately, that left the blonde with very few options and her date with Regina was looking quite grim. How was she going to tell Regina that she could not come up with an excuse to go to Boston with her? She couldn't tell Mary Margaret about their relationship, that was quite dangerous and she was quite sure that the older woman would agree.

Then her phone buzzed inside of her kangaroo pocket and a smile immediately spread across her lips. Even when her thoughts were going into a downward step, any peep from the brunette just lifted her spirits. But then the thought of Regina and Boston sent a rock to the pit of her stomach. She had to tell the teacher of her dilemma. So, she started off with checking the message displayed on her screen with a dumb smile.

**_Hello, dear! I'm sorry I was unable to reply right away, I was grading a few papers. You aren't bothering me any. I honestly need a break. Are you having fun in… Aren't you in detention?_ **

_Yes, I am. Sh… I'm a bad girl, I know._

Emma smirked and hit send. She didn't care if that sounded flirty or not, because really, that was her original intention. Regina wouldn't mind, surely? After all, they were far more closer than they had been. It wasn't long before she received a message back which had made an even larger smile break out on her face.

**_You sure are a naughty girl, aren't you? I suppose a lesson must be taught, yes?_ **

Holy shit. Regina said that. All that was missing was a winking face.

_You just might._

**_Then you shall receive your punishment tomorrow night, Miss Swan._ **

Emma couldn't help but to gawk at the screen of her phone, the message never leaving the blonde's sight as she reread the words several times over. What the hell did that mean, exactly? Was she insinuating something…  _sexual_? Fuck, did Emma really need to find a solution to her problem because she sure as hell wasn't going to pass something like that up.

_About that, I don't have an adequate excuse to tell MM so I can go to Boston._

She bit her lip and hit send. She knew that she could have continued the little charade, but really, there would be no game if she didn't try to work this out with Ms. Mills first. It was something that needed to be done, especially considering that she might just be leaving in a little over twenty-four hours.

Perhaps Regina would be more level-headed and able to come up with a better solution than Emma had that wouldn't end in total failure. As she wait for the reply, Emma looked around the room for a moment. That's when she noticed Jefferson staring at her with narrowed eyes and an angry scowl. Wonderful.

Emma offered him a sneer in return before turning her body to check her phone after it had buzzed to life once again with another message from the brunette teacher. Oh, good god, did she hope that he wasn't watching her right now under suspicion because she really couldn't afford getting her phone taken away.

**_Don't you have a friend that lives up in Boston? Graham, is it?_ **

Upon reading that message, the blonde wanted to hit herself. She very nearly forgotten about Graham  _who lives in Boston_. That would be the  _perfect_  excuse to go up there tomorrow night. It was her birthday, after all, and she could "tour Boston with Graham."

_You're a genius, Regina! You. Are. A. Fucking. Genius._

Emma refrained from ditching this shitty detention and running down the hallways towards Regina's room whilst screaming  _"I love you!"_  at the top of her lungs. Because in that moment, she really did feel like doing that. Regina was like her other half. Where Emma was lacking, she perfectly filled in the missing pieces. The blonde couldn't complete this damned puzzle without the brunette.

**_Well, I certainly am flattered, dear. Thank you._ **

_Fuck yeah, you're welcome. You're the goddamn missing piece of my puzzle, because without you, my brain would be in shambles._

Emma grinned and chuckled at her cheesy line. Why the hell did she just say that? At least she hadn't gone the other route and made it much mushier.  _… because without you, my life would not be complete._

Yeah, right. Like someone could make another person's life just  _complete_  like that. They weren't playing a videogame and there was no satisfaction to come in the end of finishing this damn torturous thing. People were just pawns on a board, being played out with their petty lives to only die in the end. They were literally born to die. Their life was nothing but a ticking clock. Some lived long, fulfilled lives while others passed before their time. It was a strange concept; life.

And where the hell was Emma pulling all of this psychological bullshit out of? One minute she was thinking about mushy feelings towards Regina and the next, she was questioning life. If that wasn't enough to tell how strange and random the blonde teen was, she wasn't quite sure what else would give her oddity away.

Her phone buzzed once again and she looked down, only to smile like a goddamn idiot at the device.

_**Without you, my dear adhesive, my heart would be in shambles.** _

It was simple, yet dealt layers of meaning that Emma was trying to comprehend. This woman was so much deeper in emotional status than the blonde thought would be possible to be given to her. Emma had never received such strong emotions towards herself, well, positive ones that was. Everything in her life had usually ended in war and nothing was peaceful. But this little blip in her life, a blip known as Regina had turned into so much more. She had turned into a rather large aperture in Emma's life and that had become quite terrifying. The blonde hadn't suspected such a thing would ever come from this, but she was dead wrong, and will most likely be for the rest of her life, because everything was turning topsy-turvy and she was getting fucking dizzy as hell. She needed to surface and catch a breath before she's drug deeper into the confusing ocean of emotions, but that didn't seem like a possibility anymore. She had dived headfirst into this and there was no way back. She could only go in deeper, like the hole she had dug herself by saying such words.

What the fuck was wrong with her?

_Have I really helped mend your heart? I know you've helped me…_

Emma closed her eyes, her thumb hovering over the send button. Should she really send that? Should she risk whatever conversation that might ensue after sending such a message? Would their conversation become much deeper and serious than it had started? She decided to take the risk and hit  _send_.  
"Emma's got her phone out!" The blonde blinked and looked up to see Victor smirking at her as his jerkoff friend stared into Mr. Gold's office after screaming that out.

"Shut the fuck up, you tattle tale." Emma snarled, shoving her phone into her pocket as Mr. Gold came out of his office, a brow quirked at the blonde trying to sit innocently at her spot. But, of course, that stare that he gave her made the teenager squirm in her seat. Fucking crocodile

"Is this true, Ms. Swan?" The short man limped over to her, his cane supporting his weight with each stride. "Did you have your cellular device out during your punishment? I hope you do know that is not a part of the rules, dearie."

_Dearie?_

"Yeah…" Emma chose not to lie, knowing that it would only make the situation far worse. "I had nothing else to do."

"You know that I will have to take that away from you." His hand extended, his brown eyes cold as he stared almost unseeing at the blonde.

"Sorry…" she feebly mumbled, digging the phone out of her pocket, which so happened to vibrate with a new message from the brunette teacher.

 _Fuck_.

She certainly was quite relieved that she hadn't used Regina's name for the contact, instead she chose to go with a few smiley faces. It would remain anonymous if anyone were happen to stumble across her cell phone, even though Emma was usually quite adamant about keeping the device on her person. And she was quite cautious not to use Regina's name while texting her, because who would only know what would happen if the  _principal_  scrolled through her messages and saw what she was writing. Everything else remained quite anonymous for the most part. No one should be able to suspect that it was Ms. Mills.  _Hopefully_ , Emma added.

"Thank you," he grumbled, taking the small device with eyes gracing over the lit-up screen. "You shall receive this back at four. Now, find something to occupy yourself with." And with that, he turned around to limp back to his office.

When Emma found her eyes sliding over to the boys, she snarled. They were snickering to each other, of course. They were such petulant boys that got their entertainment out of something so  _stupid_. Although…

The blonde turned her gaze to the clock above her table and sighed with disbelief. She still had a half hour.  _Half an hour_  of doing absolutely  _nothing_. And she knew that Regina had messaged her back with who knows what response. Oh, god, she hoped that the brunette teacher wouldn't get mad at her for not being able to reply. Maybe she would still be there after detention was over with? She could go pay her favorite teacher a visit and apologize profusely for her own insolence.

Well, perhaps this would give her the time to think over her plan. She needed to find and practice her excuse to tell to Mary Margaret. She was going to visit Graham in Boston for her birthday, that far she got. Now, there had to be more reasoning to it and perhaps she could say that he would pick her up? That would leave out the worry of her foster mother wanting to drive her up there.

But, what exactly would 'they' be doing? Graham could show her around Boston since she would be moving up there after graduation, perhaps? That would make sense and hopefully the elementary schoolteacher would accept that.

Emma felt so horrible about having to lie to that woman. She was nothing but kind to her and how did the blonde repay her? By lying to her face? But how else would she be able to go where Regina wanted to take her without lying? It would be absolutely unacceptable if the English teacher were to take her to Boston for absolutely no good reason. And it would only make matters worse if it were known that the reason why would be a date and perhaps more?

Which also raised the question about that controversial message that Regina had sent her. Was she really insinuating something? And if she were, where the fuck would that be happening at? Did Regina have plans on staying in Boston, or would she want to come back and take Emma home with her? Either way, Emma would be screwed because she would have to stay out later than Mary Margaret would like, if she were to not stay over somewhere.

Did Regina want to stay the night in Boston? That would be a whole different story and excuse to tell Emma's foster mother. Of course, it would also make quite a bit of sense. Why the hell would Emma go up to Boston with Graham later at night for only a few hours before returning home? That sounded like a complete rip off if Emma didn't know any better. And how would they even get to see any of the city if so? God, did she really need to clear things up with Regina before speaking to Mary Margaret because she was sure that the pixie-haired woman would interrogate her before she would leave- or at least gain a sufficient answer.

Hopefully she would be able to do that within the next hour, or at least as soon as she got her goddamn phone back because that had pissed her off. She hated those boys even more now than ever. They just wanted to see her  _suffer_  because they were assholes just like that.

At least the time hadn't gone by as agonizingly slow as Emma had originally anticipated. Mr. Gold was out of his office in no time with Emma's cell phone in hand and a cane in the other.

"Alright, dearies, you are all free to go. I expect to see you back here after school on Monday. Do have a good weekend." His words were a little too forced and Emma could tell. He really didn't want them to have a good weekend. Hell, they were as good as common criminals in his eyes. Being in detention didn't help that fact.

It wasn't long before the principal hobbled over to the blonde with her phone extended in his hand. But before Emma could grab it, he lifted the device out of her reach. "And you, Ms. Swan, I certainly do hope that you plan to keep all electronic devices at home or in your bag. Next time I catch wind of a certain blonde with a cell phone, I will not hesitate to confiscate it and add more time onto your insubordination. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes." The blonde nodded, receiving her phone when he had finally handed it to her. "I won't use it again."

"Good. Thank you." Mr. Gold's lips curled into an unpleasant smile before he turned to head back to the principal's office, but stopped halfway there and spoke in a bone chilling tone. "I do recommend that you leave your device on silent. The constant vibrations threw my concentration. Thank you."

Wait, her phone had been going off? And possibly more than once considering the man's agitation. Without a second thought, Emma checked her phone as she stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She had planned on quickly dropping by Ms. Mills room in hopes to apologize for not responding to the message. The brunette must be worried or angry at her. Or not…

When emerald eyes scanned through the several messages received, her heart sunk. Was she a fucking moron for getting caught? Really, she wished she would have been more discreet because it looked as if Regina was in a self-loathing state right about now.

The first message was in reply to the one that Emma had sent just before the phone was confiscated, and that had made the blonde just  _swoon_.

_**Yes you have, my dear, more than you will ever know. I never thought that I would be able to feel this way for another person, but you have brought so much out of me, Emma Swan. I think I've fallen so deeply for you, and so hard as well. It scares me, Emma, it really scares me. You say I have helped you, as well? Do you feel the same?** _

It was really quite sweet what she had said and it brought those bothersome tears to her eyes once more. Because, yeah, that's exactly how the blonde felt for the brunette as well. She felt all of those overwhelming emotions that Regina had felt towards her, she was quite sure. She was just terrified herself that the feelings were unrequited and Emma was quite sure that the brunette teacher had those same fears.

And the next few messages that she had seen underneath that very one that made her heart well with emotion, just broke it down completely.

**_-It's quite alright if you do not feel the same. I just… I had to get that off my chest._ **

**_-I do hope you know that you are not to feel inclined to answer, dear._ **

**_-I'm so sorry, Emma… I didn't mean to scare you in any way…_ **

**_-Sometimes I just don't know when to stop..._ **

The blonde had shoved her phone into her pocket without a response and chose to quickly guide her feet to the English teacher's classroom. Who knows what this poor woman was going through right now. She really wished that she hadn't been caught- or at least that that stupid jackass Jefferson didn't snitch her out on it. Wasn't it enough payback by punching her? Obviously not, and this time he didn't even harm Emma, but their teacher with his goddamn insolence.

Emma was by Regina's classroom in minutes, slightly panting from her haste. But much to her discontent, upon further inspection, she had noticed that Ms. Mills wasn't even in the room. It was completely dark inside and after trying the handle, Emma concluded that she wasn't enjoying the dark because the door was locked.

_God-fucking-dammit._

Emma sighed and pressed her back against the door as she pulled her phone from her pocket. She needed to contact Regina somehow. Sending a message was always an option, but how would she truly express how she felt through  _words_? Of course, great emotion was something best described in word, but writing them felt a cop-out.

Would the brunette even respond to her? And would she if Emma were to call?  
It was a chance that the blonde was willing to take, for she brought the cellular device up to her ear after dialing the older woman's number.

The other line had rung, bringing an anxious Emma to pace about the vacant hallway.

And then another ring.

And another.

Emma sighed. Regina wasn't going to pick up by the fourth ring, so the blonde had decided to give up and end the call. What was she to do now? She really did need to communicate with the brunette, especially if there were to be something tomorrow. Goddammit, she hadn't spent an hour fretting over the subject just to let it go so quickly.

The only logical solution was to go to Regina's house. Sure, it was quite risky and not to mention odd, but she needed to and she remembers just vaguely where it was. Pushing herself away from the door that she had found again, Emma marched down the halls to leave the school.

It wasn't long before she found the sidewalk and began trace the path to Regina's house that she had remembered they took after school on Wednesday. Of course, it had been much warmer then. Right now, it was fucking freezing and Emma was only wearing her hooded sweatshirt- which didn't necessarily protect her much from the bitter cold wind. She had been out here less than five minutes and she was already regretting the decision to walk. Who only knows how far away her house was from here and how much snow would be in her path.

Because, goddamn, that snow seeped into Emma's shoes upon impact and chilled her already aching feet. It hurt like a son of a bitch. Every part of her hurt like a son of a bitch from this frosty air. She would be lucky if she were able to speak upon her arrival, because she was sure that her entire body had turned into a human vibrator.

Emma could have wept when she saw the familiar manor come into view, and quite close at that. She crossed one street and she was there, nearly sprinting to the door in relief. Snow flung itself around her feet as more matted into her blonde mane from the sky. And, oh god, she was about to literally sob when she saw that familiar black Benz parked outside, looking all shiny and spectacular. That had meant that she was home and that Emma hadn't frozen her ass off for nothing.

Running as fast as her aching and frozen muscles could take her, Emma approached the door in… not so much record time. But, alas, she had arrived and knocked rather rapidly on the door. Boy, did she hope that Regina would answer that goddamn door. Emma was about five seconds away from knocking it down and running into the fireplace to thaw out.

Then, the door tentatively inched open along with the appearance of Regina's face. And,  _shit_ , she looked like she had been…  _crying_? The flesh around her eyes were slightly puffy and her nose still red, but the look of utter shock and surprise in those brown orbs had dissipated the other indicators.

"Emma?" she whispered. "What are you… What are you doing here?"

"I-I… I c-came to ex-explain…" The blonde managed to utter through chattering teeth. It had only taken a few moments before Regina had realized Emma's state, and once she had, Emma was inside with her shoes and hoodie stripped, a pair of fuzzy socks on her feet and several thick blankets draped around her shoulders. The idea of Regina having a pair of such socks would have made Emma laugh if she wasn't too busy trying to keep from shivering excessively.

"Here's some hot cocoa, dear." The brunette teacher carefully handed over the black mug of steaming cocoa, a light smile on her face. "I had noticed that you ordered cinnamon with it at Granny's, so I took the liberty to add some for you. I hope you enjoy it."

"I-I will, very much. Th-thank you." Emma offered her a smile as she took the mug, nearly moaning at its warmth as it soaked through her hands. She quickly took a sip and closed her eyes. "That's good…" she purred, enjoying the warmth spreading through her body. It had already made her feel much better than she had upon her arrival.

"You're welcome, dear…" the brunette whispered, occupying the spot next to her.

"Regina, I-I wanted to talk with you." Emma shivered, pulling the blankets tighter against her. Perhaps it wasn't such a wise idea to walk over here in probably zero below temperatures. "About the text that you had sent me. I wasn't able to look at it because Mr. Gold took my phone."

Regina frowned and wrapped her arms tightly around Emma, the new source of heat felt wonderful on the blonde's still shivering form.

"Jefferson told him, or else I would have been able to tell you that… I feel exactly the same. I think I probably told you at some point, you know… I don't know what I say and what I don't anymore." Emma leaned into Regina, blinking slightly when the brunette tried to lift her up. Obliging to whatever silent request, Emma lifted her bottom off the couch and moved to where the older woman was guiding her, which had her ending up on the brunette teacher's lap with arms coiled tightly around her waist. The blonde smiled warmly and wrapped one arm around Regina's neck while the other still held her mug on her legs, then lay her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"I nearly cried when I read that first message. Do you know how sweet you are, Regina? I feel so flabbergasted that you chose  _me_ , or at least wanted to stay with me." her words were a near-whisper as the hand draped around Regina played with her raven locks.

"You… you really mean that, dear?" The brunette turned her gaze to lock in with Emma's, brown eyes were wide and filled with such fear that squeezed the blonde's heart.

"Of course I do, Regina. You mean so much to me, it scary. I've been at war with my emotions for you and it's just… it's so crazy. I've never felt like this before. And, honestly, I do not know how to handle it." Emma shrunk against the brunette's small frame, her grip slightly tightening as she watched the tears start to glisten in Regina's chocolate eyes. "I mean, I can't promise anything, really. I can't promise that I won't fuck up. I can't promise that I won't hurt you. I can't promise  _anything_ , but I hope that's not a turn-off for you, and if it is, I understand if you want to just turn away."

"Why on Earth would I want to do that, Emma?" Regina gently tucked a loose piece of hair behind Emma's ear, a watery smile on her plump lips. "Oh, dear. I believe that I had said this before, and I shall state it again, I will  _not_  give you up that easily and I will not just leave you because of your faults. No one is perfect, darling, we all have our bad sides. I do, as well." She looked away, eyes focused on something across the room. There seemed to be an internal debate going on inside, and Emma could see it clearly in her eyes. She was conflicted.

"I do, too," she croaked after a moment of silence. "Will  _you_  back away, Emma dear?"

"No," was the blondes immediate response. "I would never."

"I see," she said, and that was all she said for another extended period of silence. Emma watched as olive fingers played with blonde locks, twisting and twirling the strands around each digit. "About tomorrow, my dear, have you thought of an adequate excuse?"

"Yeah, I think so." The blonde shifted slightly on the older woman's lap, trying to be as carefully as possible so she wouldn't hurt her. "I was just gonna say Graham wanted to show me around Boston for my birthday."

"Oh?" Regina blinked, a slow grin spreading on her lips. "That sounds quite believable."

"It's wrong." Emma muttered. "But anything's worth hanging out with you."

"You… you really think so?" The teenager smirked when she saw a light pink dusting the teacher's cheeks a pretty hue.

"Of course, Regina. I told you, my feelings are fucking scary." Emma shrugged and dared to press a bold kiss to the older woman's cheek.

" _You're_  the sweet one, Emma." Regina purred, tilting her head to return the kiss to the blonde's own cheek. But then her lips moved, trailing light pecks across the expanse of pale skin until they ended on the corner of Emma's mouth.

Emma, on the other hand, sat rigid on the brunette's lap. Her breath had become short gasps for desperate need of air as her heart seemed to skip a few beats when it sped up.

"I like you a lot, Emma." The brunette teacher breathlessly confided, her lips hovering mere inches above Emma's.

"I like you a lot, too, Regina…" Emma softly replied, and that was true. She really did like Regina, and a lot at that. Although, the blonde feared that her feelings directed her to more than just liking, but she wasn't brave enough to voice that small voice in the back of her mind. She didn't know if she quite believed it, either. Only over time would she find the true answer and solve any waking questions in her head.

Every thought dissipated when she felt soft, luscious lips press against her own in a slow and sweet kiss. It felt different than the other ones that they had shared- even though there were very few. But she could differentiate them, and this one was definitely more… tender. She could feel the emotions pouring from Regina in  _that_  kiss and it had seemed to short-fuse her brain.

Fortunately, she gained enough sense to return the kiss, easily willing her own emotions to step forth and take control of the intimate connection with slow moving lips sliding perfectly over lipstick covered ones. Emma's eyes slipped closed as she let the world around her fade away and enjoyed the pleasant bumps breaking out over her skin. This woman could make Emma float on a goddamn cloud with just a this simple, sweet kiss, and stir so much more inside of the blonde. Everything was  _perfect_  with her, even when they had pulled apart when the kiss had came to a natural end. A  _perfect_  end with soft, breathy gasps.

"Do you know how beautiful you are, Emma?" Regina smiled, licking her lips. "And you are, my dear, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on- both on the inside and out."

The blonde's eyebrows shot up to her hairline from the sudden compliment, but that didn't stop the blush that soon crept onto her pale cheeks. "You're really too kind, Regina…"

"Kindness has nothing to do with it. These are feelings and thoughts that I feel must be addressed. You deserve every wonderful compliment and I am willing to give them to you whenever I can." The brunette teacher's voice was a low hum as she tenderly ran her fingers through Emma's blonde locks. "Like how I love your hair. It reminds me of honey, for some reason. And it's quite soft and silky. I often find myself wanting to just… bury my face in it."

"What..?" Emma blinked. "You…"

"I'm sorry. Was that too much?"

"It's… fine. Just a little strange." The blonde shrugged and bit her lower lip, letting her fingers lightly graze across Regina's shoulder. "Just as long as I am able to express how much I love to touch you. Your skin, specifically. It's like velvet, you know? You must use some nice moisturizer, because  _I_  often find myself fantasizing over touching your skin."

"My skin?" Regina couldn't stop the blush on her cheeks. "I do use good moisturizer."

"I knew it." Emma chirped. She  _always_  fantasized about touching Regina and her flawless skin. It was usually, for the most part, to make sure that the brunette woman was real. And she was real alright, or at least that kiss had told her so. Also, she always had fantasized about touching  _all_  of the brunette, but wasn't that just every girl's dream?

 _Holy shit_ , hadn't Regina suggested something like that through a text? She had… hadn't she? Which, with that in mind, had raised the question she had asked earlier. What the fuck were they going to do after getting to Boston?

"Hey, uh, Regina? I needed to ask you something. I know that it's kind of abrupt…" Emma shifted once again on the brunette woman's lap, her fingers anxiously playing with a stray lock of her hair.

"What is it, dear?"

"What did you… What did you want to do when we get to Boston? I mean, it would be kind of pointless to only go there for dinner so late at night, and especially when Mary Margaret would think I'd be visiting Graham. She'probably think I'd at least stay the night or something. I mean, I'm not really trying to insinuate anything. I-I was just curious." she elaborated, this time letting her hand gently massage the older woman's shoulder before adding quietly. "... and your text to me was a bit suggestive."

"Oh, right. You are correct, Emma." brunette purred softly, rolling her shoulder after the blonde had stopped. "Perhaps we could rent a hotel room to stay in for the night and pick up brunch before we leave?"

"A hotel room?" Well, hot damn, she had something planned out, didn't she?

"Yes. I could get us one with two beds if you wish."

"Two?"

"If you are uncomfortable with sleeping in the same bed as I, I mean."

"O-one would be suitable. I don't mind." Emma smiled shyly and, before Regina could see her face, she buried it in the older woman's hair. "Is it official, though? I would have to tell Mary Margaret about it."

"Yes. I can book a hotel room tonight so we are guaranteed to have one for tomorrow night." The brunette chuckled softly at the blonde's actions and playfully pinched her sides. "That is, if you feel inclined to come out of your hiding place before then."

"But I like it here…" Emma mumbled against Regina's hair. "Your hair smells like apples. And it's soft." And to prove just that, she inhaled deeply and giggled.

"Well, I am certainly glad to hear that, dear." The older woman smiled softly and squeezed the blonde tighter against her. "But you do know that you'll come out of there soon. You must tell your mother some time, yes?"

"Nah, I think I'll just let her continue believing I'm straight." Emma did, though, move away from Regina's hair to gaze down at the brunette with a mirthful smile. The look on Regina's face made the blonde laugh, and boy, laugh she did. Emma had ended up falling off the brunette's lap and hit the floor with a thud, but that hadn't fazed her as she continued to guffaw in memory of the face that was given in response to her statement.

"Emma! Are you alright, darling?" Emma heard rustling from above her, but she didn't give it any mind. She was in  _tears_ , unable to catch her breath. Why she thought it was so funny, she would never know. And the burning on her legs from the spilled hot chocolate went unnoticed.  
That was, until Regina had pulled the blonde into a sitting position on the floor, in which amused green met with concerned brown. It had taken a few deep breaths and couple of suppressed giggles until Emma had finally calmed enough to realized where the hell she was and why the hell her legs felt as if they were on fire.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Regina repeated, her eyes wide and wild with worry. "You took a hard fall, and the cocoa didn't stay in the cup."

"That's because it's on my legs." Emma gestured to her jeans, which were dark with spilled hot cocoa. "My ass hurts a little bit, or else, I'm okay."

"Take your pants off."

"And here I thought you were more dignified."

"Not like that…" Regina quirked a brow and pushed herself up with the couch, which had her soon standing with an arm extended. "You need to get out of those since you've spilled sticky cocoa all over yourself."

"Am I gonna walk around in my underwear, then?" Emma smirked, taking the offered hand to stand up. "Because, you know, I don't wear those cute kinds or anything."

"I…"

"Sorry. I just… shouldn't open my mouth." the blonde muttered. She was really putting too much flirt into this conversation with her teacher, well girlfriend. _Teacher girlfriend?_  Whatever the fact, she wanted to know why. Normally she would never-... well, she couldn't necessarily say that, especially since she never really had  _flirted_  with someone she  _liked_  so freely. It came way too easily to Emma when she spoke with Regina.

"It's fine, Emma." Regina offered her an amused smile. "I have a pair of pants that you may wear until yours are done washing."

"You're going to wash my pants?"

"You do still need to return home, don't you?"  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Emma made a face of displeasure. "I wish I could stay here longer."

"But you cannot, my dear." The brunette gave her a look that said she wished Emma could stay as well, but that was something that could just not happen. "Why don't you stay down here while I grab something for you to wear?"

"Alright, thank you…" Emma mumbled with a smile as she watched the brunette teacher turn to leave the room.

This was happening, Emma thought as she tried to peel the material of her jeans away from her skin where the cocoa had spilled. Here she was, now pantsless, in Regina Mills' home. Never had she ever thought that would be a reality. Of course, the context didn't apply to where the rest of Emma's little fantasy would go. Everything about this situation was innocent, or so she thought. There was a possibility that Regina would come back wearing nothing but what she was born, but of course, that was highly unlikely, no matter how much Emma wished that were to happen.

"There's a rest-... room..." The husky voice of the brunette teacher had Emma's attention to the door where Regina had entered with a pair of grey, silk pajama bottoms. But the way she paused halfway across the sitting room with wide eyes told Emma that she hadn't been expecting a pantsless blonde on her couch.

"Hi…" Emma mewled sheepishly, the intense stare of the brunette had her shrinking against the couch and wishing to whatever higher deity that she was wearing pants.

"Your… You… Here." The brunette cleared her throat and tossed the bottoms over, in which Emma quickly slipped them on to sooth part of her embarrassment. The older woman's eyes were burning darker than before, which had alarmed Emma. Was this turning her on?

"Thanks," she mumbled, smoothing her hands over the sleek fabric, trying to forget that little fact. "They're really comfortable."

"That's why I purchase them, dear."

Emma nodded, smiling up at the brunette as she picked up the jeans strewn over the couch. She folded the jeans neatly and, once again, moved to exit the room. Even though she hadn't said anything about her departure, Emma guessed she was going to wash them. That had made the blonde feel rather guilty, considering that they were her own and the mess was also her responsibility. She figured the least she could do was help, and so she did.

Emma jumped up from her spot and picked up the forgotten mug from the floor before quickly following behind the English teacher to wherever she was headed. With the mug held close, she let her eyes wander around the scene of Regina's home, noticing all of the lavish and expensive items that decorated it. It took all of Emma's will to not stop and just  _gawk at everything_  that she passed by. How nice would it be to live here?

"Emma?" The brunette suddenly paused her movements and turned to look at the teenager behind her.

"Yeah?" She queried, taking the few step distance between the two.

"What are you doing, dear?"

"Following you." When Regina turned around, Emma smiled innocently. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course not." A smile broke across the older woman's face and she reached out to gently take Emma's hand. "Want to take a trip to the laundry room?"

"That's what I planned." Emma replied stupidly. "I mean, that, I wanted to help. It would only be right if I were to. After all, they're my pants."

"You don't have to, honey. I can wash them." Regina shrugged and proceeded onward, dragging the blonde behind her. "Why don't you put that mug in the sink on our way, hm?"

Emma nodded as they crossed the foyer and went straight into the kitchen. She did as suggested and gently set the mug into the sink, but not after rinsing the rest of the contents out with a proud smirk. When she turned around, she was met with a quirked brow and pursed lips.

"Are you done?"

"I just don't feel right about making you clean up after me, is all…" Emma said quietly, once again following behind Regina as the two made their way out of the kitchen and down a hall. The brunette opened the closest door, which had revealed a rather small room with a washer and dryer, as well as a small basket of clothes.

"Sweetheart, my home is your home, I do hope you know that. But I do like to… I like to take care of people. Especially someone that I care greatly for." The brunette gave her a small smile before turning to toss the jeans into the washer. "Do you mind if I throw my own clothes in there as well? I know how touchy people can feel about mixed laundry."

"I'm fine with it…" Emma kept her eyes glued to the brunette as she then proceeded to neatly put each article of her own clothing into the washer. The blonde blushed when she saw several pairs of panties enter the machine that held her jeans, and holy shit, Emma felt as if she had to look away because of privacy issues.

"Are you alright, dear?" Regina smirked after setting the washer up to start and turned her body to face the blonde once again. "Are you embarrassed over something?"

"I-I don't want to… invade anything…"

"Trust me, you aren't. I wouldn't show my undergarments to just  _anybody_." she purred, taking a few steps closer to the blonde. A soft, olive hand gently caressed Emma's cheek, resulting in the softest mewl. Her eyes closed as she nuzzled closer to the hand, quite enjoying the warmth and small jolts of electricity coursing underneath the touch. Emma's breath caught in her throat as one of Regina's fingers grazed ever so tentatively over her lower lip.

Oh, god, the strange things this woman does to her.

"Am I considered one of the lucky bodies?" Green eyes opened, an innocent doe look on her face.

"Yes." Regina answered, her voice huskier than it originally was. "And you're the only one that has the privilege to have their clothes mixed with them."

"I'm one lucky bitch, aren't I?" The blonde breathlessly inquired, pale fingers wrapping around the older woman's delicate wrist. "Because I certainly feel like it."

"I suppose you are, Emma. As am I." Arms soon engulfed Emma and her senses were filled with the scent of Regina's spicy perfume. The blonde couldn't help but to grin like an idiot and probably hugged the teacher back a little too tightly, or so the small squeak the came from Regina told her so.

"Sorry… 'gina…" Emma mumbled through short puffs with her face buried in Regina's neck and hair. Apples was her new favorite thing, and she had the lovely Ms. Mills to thank for that.

"Gina?" Regina's voice was muffled, for her own face was hidden away in blonde curls.

"I meant Regina." She quickly mended and she had meant that. Somewhere in there, the "Re" was lost in raven locks. She wasn't really one to give people a nickname if they didn't come across as that type of person. And she usually veered away from cute pet names. They never felt right coming from her mouth- or so she thought if she were to say them. It just didn't go with her persona and trying to call Regina 'baby' didn't seem really fitting. The woman was much older than her and she wasn't quite sure if the brunette would actually appreciate it. Like she didn't know if Regina was offended or surprised over what she thought was a nickname.

"Oh…" and that answered Emma's question. She sounded slightly disappointed, but didn't want to show it, or so Emma thought.

"Do you want me to… to call you Gina?" Emma asked tentatively. "I really wouldn't mind and it can be our thing."

"No one has ever called me that before. Well… I wouldn't let them if they had." Regina bit her lip and moved away from the blonde curls to stare into emerald eyes. "But I like it coming from you."

"That settles it then?"

"I suppose it does, dear." The brunette smiled and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Emma's lips, which had ultimately left her breathless.

"Gina. It suits you… well…" she couldn't help but let out an elated giggle. "When you look like that, it does."

"What do you mean? What do I look like?" Her eyes were wide and incredulous.

"When you look at me with those big, brown eyes and they're just so sparkly and sweet. And the smile on your lips… looks so natural. You look, dare I say,  _adorable_. And adorable is Gina. Gina is adorable." The blonde offered her most innocent smile that she could to the brunette, because she knew for a fact that Regina didn't like to be called adorable, considering that she didn't take too well the last time Emma had called her that very word.

"Gina is adorable, huh?" The brunette woman quirked her brow. "I think I would like to digress."

"Nope. My Gina is adorable and that is that." Emma nodded simply, squeezing Regina even tighter. Oh, good god, did she hope that she wouldn't break the poor woman in half. But she was just  _so adorable_.

"You know, my dear Emma, I won't always be adorable."

"Yeah, because you're pretty damn sexy, too. I know for a… I-I mean…" Emma blushed quite vividly and chose to hide her floral face in apple scented hair.

"I am not responding to that." Regina's voice sounded as if she were completely thrown off and Emma wouldn't doubt that she would because. Because even the blonde herself was surprised by the sudden comment that flew from her lips. Really, she needed to do something about that. Perhaps there was a kind of surgery to partake in? Whatever the solution, she needed to get it done rather quickly before she said something else she wasn't meant to.

"I don't really expect you to. I am really, like  _really_  sorry about my mouth." Emma mumbled against the older woman's neck. "I just… I really do not know how to stop."

"Don't worry, dear." The teacher whispered softly, pressing a kiss to the top of the blonde's head. "I don't either."

And that had struck something inside Emma's brain. She remembered reading that message that Regina had sent her earlier. She said that she didn't know how to stop. The blonde wasn't the only one with vocal diarrhea problems. Apparently Regina suffered the same, and currently… there was no cure. They were quite hopeless and they could only wish a single dose of something would help them out.

"Hey, Regina…" Emma pulled slightly away from the brunette, holding her at an arm's length. The look in her eyes had literally tore the blonde's heart in half. She looked just so goddamn  _sorrowful_  and  _self-loathing_ , it was impossible not to pull her into an embrace. And so Emma had, not even bothering to finish what she was about to say, because instead, she just held her teacher and hoped to be of some comfort.

"You're a wonderful woman, Regina. Please don't feel anything but elation, because that's all that you deserve. You deserve to be happy and I will try my goddamn hardest to do that for you. Sure, there'll probably be some assholes in the way, but that doesn't mean I won't try." Emma reassured, her voice soft and her emotions genuine as she whispered into Regina's ear.

Then she moved back and stared deeply into the teacher's chocolate pools as one hand tucked her dark hair behind an ear. "I  _will_  reassure you many, many more times if I have to because I want you to know that I am here and always will be here for you. No matter what. Please… do not doubt yourself. I… I know earlier that you had…. through that message that you had sent me."

Regina had remained silent during the time Emma had spoken and for several moments afterward. And the, without notice, the brunette burst into tears. That had startled Emma, and it had had even more when the older woman threw herself into the blonde's arms in a sobbing mess.

"Gina… G-Gina?" Emma frowned, pulling her tight against her chest. She was always quite awkward when dealing with emotional people. She never figured she could be enough to comfort them, but since she was the only one here for Regina, it seemed as if she had to try. Luckily, it didn't feel all too awkward. Perhaps it was because the thorny disposition between the two had come down quite a lot and she had gotten so used to holding Regina. Whatever it may be, she was able to harbor the feelings needed in comforting a hysteric person and it seemed to be working quite well. The soothing circles on Regina's back and the way Emma had stroke the brunette's soft hair had calmed her incredibly.

"It's alright, baby." she whispered. "G-Gina, it'll be alright. I'm here for you." She felt the brunette nod and heard a few sniffles that made her heart ache.

"Good, good… Come on, why don't we switch out the laundry and go watch a movie? Lighten the mood?" Emma brought a hand up to cup the brunette teacher's olive cheek.

"A-alright, that sounds good." she nodded, her voice now hoarse.

So they did just that, working as a team to switch the cleaned clothes over to the dryer with Regina pulling them out as Emma tossed them in. After they had finished with the small chore, both women headed to the sitting room and picked out one of the lighthearted romantic comedies. They cuddled up under the blankets as they watched the film, with Regina holding Emma in her arms as the blonde pretended not to be interested in such a 'lame' movie, although she was thoroughly intrigued by it.

By the end of the movie, Emma was yearning to watch another of the silly rom-coms, but Regina had pointed out that the clothes must be dry by now and it was getting late. And by getting late, that meant that Emma needed to head home before Mary Margaret had a fit of not knowing where she was. So, with that, the two quickly made their way to the launder room where Emma retrieved her pants and donned them.

Soon enough, Regina and Emma were out of the house and on their way to the blonde's apartment. The trip there was sat in companionable silence as the music on the radio sprang through the speakers. It was to Emma's pleasant surprise when she had noticed that the station was one on that of classic rock. So Regina  _did_  have good taste in music besides the classical she thought the brunette listened to, or at least of what she saw in part of the older woman's musical collection.

It wasn't long, or so Emma thought, until they arrived outside the apartment. It always felt that the ride home was always too short. Or, at least the last time it felt the same. When she arrived on Sunday, though, she knew  _that_  would be a much longer trip. If Mary Margaret were to let her go. She wouldn't find out until she got enough strength to get her ass out of the car.

"Until tomorrow, dear?" Regina turned to face the blonde, an elated smile on her face. "I'll pick you up around seven, if your foster mother allows you to go."

"She probably will." Emma shrugged. Mary Margaret never said no to her when she asked to go somewhere, especially overnight. The pixie-haired woman was a little too trustful for her own good, and Emma tried not to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, tonight, she would have to in order to go on that date with Regina. Maybe in the future, if Regina and Emma were still together, she would be blatantly honest about this day. After all, it was the mark of their first date out. It would be a rather important milestone that hopefully Mary Margaret would forgive her for.

"But I'll text you when I get an answer. Okay?"

"Alright," she nodded.

"Goodnight, Gina." Emma smiled shyly, looking at Regina through her lashes.

"Goodnight, Emma." The brunette's smile radiated, brightening up her entire face and, oh, did it make her look so  _breathtaking_. Emma's face just lit up as well, the smile contagious, and their eyes met in a heated stare. She found herself leaning forward, an invisible force drawing her near the brunette, and it had seemed the same for Regina. That was, until Emma's phone rang to life with a speedy tune, indicating a call from her foster mother.

Regina jumped nearly ten feet in the air from the interruption and Emma the same. She cursed under her breath, pulling the device out to answer the call.

"Hello?" She asked, trying her best not to sound annoyed.

_"Emma? Where are you?"_

"I'm outside. I'll be coming in a moment. Alright?"

_"Alright. Goodbye."_

"Bye." The blonde huffed and ended the call. She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door, but before she stepped out of the car, she turned to look at what appeared to be a shell-shocked Regina.

"You alright?"

"Wh- yeah." The brunette offered her a smile. "Goodnight, honey."

"Goodnight, Gina." Emma leaned forward and kissed her cheek before hoisting herself out, slamming the door behind her.

 _God,_  did Mary Margaret sometimes make her angry. She always had to call at the most inopportune of times. Sighing with irritation, she made haste to get upstairs and enter the already unlocked apartment to be met with Mary Margaret staring at her.

"Where have you been, Emma?"

"I had a tutoring session with Ms. Mills again. I'm sorry. I thought I had told you…" Emma ran her fingers through her hair. "I would have told you, but I thought it would be rude to use my phone."

"You really need to tell me when you tutor, Emma." Mary Margaret sighed, extending a hand to tuck a piece of hair behind Emma's ear. "Alright, hon?"

"Yes. I'm sorry… I will, okay? I'll try to when I know she's free."

"Thank you." The brunette woman smiled softly. "Have you eaten?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Well, dinner's in the oven if you're hungry." Mary Margaret said. "It should be done about now, too. So you're just in time." And with that, she started to walk towards the kitchen with Emma trailing behind. "Your father should be home soon."

"Mary Margaret?" Emma set her bag on one of the stools as she leaned against the island counter. "I have to ask you something."

"What is it, Emma?" Emma's foster mother asked as she pulled whatever tonight's meal was out of the oven.

"Tomorrow's my birthday, right?"

"Right."

"Well, I was wondering if I could go with Graham to Boston." Emma looked away from Mary Margaret's back, suddenly feeling terrible about lying to the woman's face. The words coming out of her mouth didn't even feel like her own, and oh god, did she hope that her mother would let her go.

"He, uh, he asked me. He wanted to show me around Boston as a birthday present and take me to a few places up there since I'll be moving there after graduation." It seemed so easy to lie, it was scary.

"How do you plan on getting there?"

"He bought a car and he's gonna come pick me up."

"When would that be?" The brunette school teacher walked over to the island and leaned against it as well, her eyes on the blonde.

"Around seven."

"So late?"

"I don't think he gets off work until later and it's a long trip here." Emma shrugged. "And since he'd be coming so late, I thought I can crash at his place for the night and we'd get up Sunday so he could finish showing me around."

"Wait, you'd be staying the night over at his place?" Mary Margaret looked skeptical at this face and Emma swore she was going to finally say 'no' to her. Shit.

"We're just friends, Mary Margaret. We won't do anything. I think he has a girlfriend, anyways, and there's two rooms in that apartment he has. Remember that we planned on moving together?" She certainly hoped that this would work and that her foster mother would say yes, or they were fucked out of a date.

"Emma…"

"Please, Mary Margaret." Emma did what she rarely ever did; she pleaded. "I promise I'll call you if anything goes wrong. And, if you want, I can check in periodically."

"You really want to go that bad, huh?"

Emma nodded and offered her a smile that she hoped looked too hopeful to pass up. "And we can still celebrate my birthday here since he won't be in until late."

Mary Margaret stared at the blonde teenager in front of her, as if contemplating on her answer. Emma could even see the gears inside her head working together to formulate the response.

Then, she finally said it. "Fine."

"Really?" The hopped up from her seat and threw her arms around her foster mother. "Oh, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me. You really don't!" she squealed.

Mary Margaret chuckled and hugged the blonde back. "Now, don't get into trouble, okay? I don't want to have to go up to Boston at some strange time at night to bail you out."

"I won't! I promise! You  _won't_  regret this!" Emma giggled with excitement. "I have to tell him!"

Then Emma was hopping out of the kitchen with her backpack and headed upstairs to her room where she just could not stop bouncing about. She pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly searched for Regina's name to message her the answer. And, oh god, she could barely type up the message for her hands were shaking too much because Mary Margaret said yes.

_Guess what, Gina? We're going on a date in Boston!_


	13. Boston

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And it is finally up! You guys are super impatient, aren't you? Sheesh. Can't get a break. Well, here it is, and I hope it was worth the wait! You better like it. I put blood, sweat, and tears into this while writing it for you. XD Also, procrastination and concentration are not my friends.
> 
> Buuuuuuuut, here we are. Chapter 13. The chapter all y'all have been waiting for and where the M finally comes into place. ;) Also, it's quite the read (16,597 words), so, it's like two chapters into one. If I have screw-ups somewhere in there, eh. You can tell me if you want, but I am pooped so I'm not going through this thing right now.
> 
> Also, I would love to thank you all for the awesome reviews! Like always, they make my day much, much better and I can always smile like a fucking idiot in the middle of a class when I read them. THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT. I LOVE YOU.
> 
> Annnnnd, I have some news that might affect the chapter updates and stuff. I'll be moving at the end of this month, so I'm not sure how much time I'll get to spend writing (while I'm home, because elsewhere I can type like the wind), so just a heads up.
> 
> And that just about sums it up. Also, reviews are ENCOURAGED, so I would love to hear what you think. And what the hell do you think about this goddamn gargantuan chapter?
> 
> But, please do enjoy this chapter and happy reading!
> 
> (Also, I'm just JOKING up there about not getting a break or anything, I really do appreciate you guys and I know that I CAN take a break whenever I want)

_**She said yes?** _

_Yes! And she also okay'd the whole staying overnight there._

_**Fantastic! But, dear, I have changed the plans up some. We shall be leaving after four, if that is okay? The restaurant we will be going to close at midnight, and it would be about that time when we would finally arrive.** _

_That sounds even better. At least we won't be eating at an ungodly hour._

_**That, and they're playing a show at the Paramount at about nine. I was hoping I could take you there, dear?** _

_I don't mind at all! I've never been to a show before._

_**Then I shall do the honors and take you to your first show, my dear Emma. And there's quite a lovely restaurant next to it, well, the one I planned on taking you to. We wouldn't have to go far nor be late. Do dress suitably, that means you must wear something formal.** _

_Holy shit, Gina. I feel like I'm getting spoiled._

_**Wait until you see the hotel suite I plan on renting, dear.** _

_Hotel… suite?! I don't want you to spend too much on me with all this fancy stuff._

_**Don't worry about it, Emma dear. I have more than enough funds to pay for this. After all, what am I going to do with my wealth? I have nothing worth spending it on besides you.** _

_You're really super sweet, Gina…_

_**Also, I've got another surprise for you.** _

_You… do?_

_**Yes.** _

_What is it?_

_**It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?** _

_No, I suppose not._

_**Oh, Emma dear, I have a question to ask you.** _

_What is it?_

_**Will you be telling Graham about this since he's your cover? After all, he will be coming down shortly, will he not? You don't want questions to arise, because I am quite sure both parties will be thoroughly confused when your mother asks Graham of his time with you in Boston.** _

_I suppose you're right… I hadn't thought of that. I'll message him when we've finished talking._

_**Why don't you do it now, dear? I ought to see to it that the hotel reservation is in tact. I shall talk to you later.** _

_Okay. I'll talk to you later. Bye-bye, Gina._

_**Goodbye, sweetheart.** _

Emma sighed and sat up from her spot on the bed. Mary Margaret had been calling her downstairs for dinner several times and, this time, with warning. She hadn't expected her conversation with Regina to be so long, but apparently they just got lost. Although, at least things are cleared up and she'd have to tell her foster mother that she'll be leaving sooner than before. At least all they had planned was a dinner out at Granny's and a small birthday cake with whatever gifts that the two had bought for her.

"Emma! Don't make me come up there!" Her foster mother's voice rang from downstairs.

"Hold on a minute! I'm trying to clear things up with Graham!" She huffed and did just that, clicking through her phone to find her friend's name. Now, what will she say to him? She couldn't divulge in her date with Regina. Graham knew who she was, although he was never one to tell others' secrets. But she still didn't trust to tell him just yet. She didn't think Regina would want that. Would she? Well, she  _had_  asked Emma if she would tell Graham about the cover…

She'll just vaguely make up an excuse and if Graham decided to ask questions, she'd oblige and answer them honestly. That was, if he were to make a promise and sign that damned thing in blood because his would spill if the information shared were to be heard by someone else.

Sighing, she decided to leave as much information out as possible as she sent him the message, hoping that he wouldn't question it too much. She was rather terrified as to what he would think if he knew that this was all for a date and night with Regina Mills- an English teacher more than twice her age.

_Hey, I need you to do me a favor. Can you cover for me? I'm going to Boston and I told Mary Margaret it was to see you. It's only for tomorrow night._

Hitting send, she had hoped that that would suffice. The blonde would be quite screwed if he didn't agree to help her- although that was unlikely since he was quite the nice guy. With a sigh, Emma picked herself up off the bed, cell phone in hand, and made her way downstairs to her awaiting foster parents- who seemed rather irritated at her tardiness.

"And look at who finally joins us." She heard David rumble in front of an empty plate. "What were you doing up there?"

"I was talking to Graham about tomorrow." Emma quietly replied, inching her way over to her spot at the table where a square of lasagna sit on a plate. "And, Mary Margaret?"  
"Yes, Emma?" The pixie-haired brunette focused her attention to the blonde.

"He's going to be coming at four, if that's okay. He thought seven was a little too late since it's a four hour drive there." Emma explained, picking her phone up from where she sat it on the table to check the message after it had buzzed. Graham had texted her back.

 _ **What the hell are you going to Boston for?**_   _ **I'll only cover you if you tell me**_.

Damn that boy. The blonde scrunched her nose at the phone, sending daggers to the screen.

"Is something wrong, dear?"

"Oh, no. It's just Graham. He's just wondering… what I'm doing." she shrugged and quickly typed a message back.

_I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone. And I mean it. Don't tell anyone, not even Belle or Ruby._

"Well, tell him that you're eating dinner so you can put your phone away." David grunted, quirking a brow. "You know how your mother doesn't like technology at the table."

"I know. I'll tell him." Emma stabbed her lasagna with her fork and ripped a corner off. It wasn't as good as Regina's, but it was still one of the best. If Mary Margaret was good at anything, it was cuisine. She was a marvelous cook and Emma always appreciated the meals that she made.

"That means now."

"I'm waiting for his reply." The blonde grit her teeth.

"Didn't you talk to him enough?"

"David, please," Mary Margaret gently touched her husband's hand. "Just let her say what needs to be said. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for her."

"Fine…" The man grumbled grudgingly before serving himself another square of lasagna.

"Thank you," Emma mumbled, checking her phone as another message alert sounded.

_**I won't. I promise….** _

_I'm going on a date._

_**Really? You got yourself a girlfriend you don't want your parents knowing about? Tell me who it is and why I have to cover for them- then I'll cover for you.** _

That was quick.

"Oh my god." Emma rolled her eyes at his persistence. It was just like him to try and drag everything out of the blonde. She should have known that it wasn't safe to ask him something so vaguely without questioning.

"What is it, Emma?"

"It's just Graham being a nosey little ass like he always is."

" _Language_ ," the brunette quirked a brow.

"Sorry…" Emma mumbled, her fingers flying away at the keyboard.

_I don't want you to tell anyone… Promise? Don't say anything. And you know what I mean._

_**Fine. I promise. Now spill!** _

"Are you going to put that thing away yet?"

" _David_."

"In a minute…" Emma mumbled. "I gotta send this and then I'll tell him I'm eating. He won't be able to wait… although…"

"Honey, finish what you need to quickly so you can eat." David calmly suggested, his eyes no doubt trying to take a peek at the blonde's phone.

"Yeah. I will." With a roll of her eyes she replied with two words.

_Regina Mills._

And then her cell phone starts ringing, earning her dirty looks from both her parents.

"Now he's calling… Can… Can I take this?" Although, she was quite afraid to take the call. No doubt Graham would be screaming his head off at her.

"Yeah, just be quick about it, dear." Mary Margaret nodded, even though David was shaking his head.

"Thanks…" Emma quickly hit the answer button and was immediately greeted with a boisterous voice that had her jump in her spot with wide eyes.

" _NO FUCKING WAY, EMMA! YOU'RE DATING MS. MILLS? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"_

"Pipe the hell down, Graham. Jesus. Blow my eardrums out, why don't you? I'm at the dinner table." She gave a wry look to no one in particular. "And…  _yes_ , I am. I told you not to say anything."

" _But you're dating the fucking Evil Queen. How the hell did you land on that airstrip? She's, like, your teacher, isn't she?"_

"Yeah, but…" Emma rolled her eyes and stood up from the table. "Just give me a moment."

" _Why? I want details. Like, now. After all, you're using me to cover for her."_

"I'm at the  _dinner table_  if you didn't first hear me." She quickly made her way back upstairs to her bedroom, abandoning her spot at the table along with both parents who were shooting her curious gazes. "Now, first off, don't call her that."

" _Right. Sorry. I'm just… wow._ "

"And she liked me back, surprisingly. But that's not important. What's important is, will you cover for me?"

" _If you visit me, fuck yeah I will."_

"Tell me where you're at and I'll ask her if we can stop by tomorrow before we leave."

" _When the hell are you coming?"_

"We're leaving here at about four. So we'll be in around eight. But we're watching a show at the Paramount and eating at that restaurant by it, I think."

" _Oh, you're eating at Salvatore's? That place is fancy."_

"Yeah… Well, shut up. So, tell me where you're at and I'll make sure we'll stop by on Sunday. It'll probably be early."

" _Wait. Sunday? And you're…. Ohhh…. Are you staying overnight?"_

"Yes and let's leave it at that."

" _You and-"_

"Graham. Please."

" _Fine. And yeah, I'll cover for you._ " He then proceeded to tell Emma where he was currently residing, repeating every so often as she wrote the location down.

"Thanks."

" _I'll be expecting you. Both. Of. You."_

"Yeah. Oh, and Graham?"

" _Yeah?_ "

"Don't tell anyone. No one knows."

" _My lips are sealed, Em. Lips equal sealed._ "

"Thanks… Uh, I gotta get going. I'm supposed to be eating and my parents are probably fucking fuming."

" _Alright. Talk to you later and see you on Sunday._ "

"Yup. See you."

" _Bye._ "

And so she hung up, sticking the piece of paper on top of her dresser so she wouldn't forget it tomorrow. Dear god, that went better than she had thought, albeit it could have gone better. Now Graham knows about her and Regina, but at least she could trust him enough to keep his lips sealed. And it actually took some pressure off Emma's chest to divulge such information to her male friend. Now, the next challenge was to tell Regina and hope that she wouldn't mind taking the blonde to visit her friend on Sunday.

* * *

" _Happy birthday, Emma!_ " A collective cheer rang through the otherwise quiet diner of Granny's. The blonde smiles sheepishly, still not used to the attention she was receiving from the rather large crowd. She felt as if she were in a spotlight, especially when they all started to sing that stupid  _Happy Birthday_  song to her, and she stood there awkwardly until they finished.

"Thank you," she squeaked and blew the eighteen candles poking out of the rather large cake. Holy shit, she hadn't expected  _this_  for her birthday. Her friends, Ruby and Belle were here along with a few classmates including Killian, Ruby's grandmother, Belle's father, her own parents, and a few acquaintances and friends of the adults. This party set up for her had been the largest she had ever had- and that was mostly because she only celebrated with Mary Margaret, David, and her three best friends.

It was to her surprise when Mary Margaret, David, and herself walked into the diner around noon for their usual special lunch when, without any sort of warning, she was berated with a collective " _Surprise!_ " Then all had proceeded to eat from a small buffet that Ruby and her grandmother had made- which ultimately was their gift to Emma since she absolutely loved food and free refills of cinnamon hot cocoa.

That was two hours ago and now Emma sat surrounded by gifts with awaiting eyes on her. Giving a sheepish smile, the blonde stabbed her fork into the middle of the cake and received the first box given to her by Mary Margaret. It was quite flat, like a box that clothes were usually wrapped in. The box, though, seemed heavier than any regular pair of pants or shirt that the brunette woman bought her. It was either several articles of clothing, Emma thought, or something entirely different.

"Go on, open it!" Her foster mother grinned with excited eyes.

"Okay…" And the blonde did just that, ripping the prettily wrapped paper off the box with a smile as wide as the brunette's. She threw the box's top to the side and gasped when she saw red.

"Oh my god, Mary Margaret! I love it! I- thank you!" she pulled out the object that had her squealing like an idiot, which so happened to be a red, leather (pleather) jacket. It was the same one that she had seen at the jacket shop a few months back and begged Mary Margaret for but they hadn't the money at the time. Little did she know, her mother had gone back to get it shortly thereafter.

"So I take it you like it?"

"Yes!" Emma beamed and shrugged it on, the smile only growing wider. She then turned her body to hug the brunette woman sitting next to her. "I love it!"

"I knew you would. You were positively begging me to buy it for you when you saw it." She chuckled and returned the hug. "You look beautiful in it."

Emma blushed, just as bright as her new jacket, and stuffed a forkful of frosting laden cake into her mouth.

"Yeah, but I beat that won't beat what I got her." David held up a large, rectangular box, a smug smile on his face.

"Nothing will compare, David." Mary Margaret crossed her arms, a confident look on her visage.

"Just wait and see." He smirked in response.

Emma quirked a brow and took the gift that he had handed her. It was rather heavy, much more so than the jacket. What the hell was in here and what could positively be more better than the red leather jacket? Unless…

" _Holy shit!_ " she squealed when she had finally opened the packaging.

"Language, Emma…" Mary Margaret sighed, looking defeated as her eyes roamed over the black, leather boots that lay in the box.

"Holy  _crap!_ " Emma mended, taking one of the footwear items out. "It's… perfect! Thank you thank you thank you so much!" The blonde turned to her other side to give her foster father a tight hug. "How did you know?"

"I saw you gawking at them when we went to get you new shoes for this year." David grinned, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I figured why not be a good father and actually get you what you want for your eighteenth birthday."  
"Thank you so much, dad." The blonde giggled. "I'm totally wearing both of these tonight! I hope it'll look nice with the dress that I'll be wearing… It's black, so, probably."

"When do you have to go back again, dear? It's almost two-thirty now." Mary Margaret had looked back to Emma after checking the time, her lips forming a slightly sad smile. "And don't you still have to pack? You sort of just passed out after watching the movie with us."

"Yeah, I do. We should probably head back when we're done. I still have to get ready, too."

The two of them nodded, Mary Margaret still looking sullen which had Emma feeling rather horrible for leaving her- even if it were for just one day. She didn't want to fret much on the subject, but she still had that thought weighing her mind down. In reality, she was leaving the pixie-haired brunette- for what she thought would be to tour the city she would be living in, which would be another reminder that she wouldn't be staying home for long- and she had lied to her foster mother, as well, in order to head to Boston.

With guilt weighing her down, and a heavy smile, she took the next gift that David had handed her and opened it. There was a CD beneath the wrapping, one that of her favorite musical artist- and one that she hoped Regina enjoyed when she had her listen to a song during their lunch. Perhaps she'd allow her to play the CD on their way to Boston later.

"You don't have that one, do you?" He asked, frowning slightly at her expressionless face. Emma looked up and beamed, shaking her head in response.

"Nope! Thank you, David! This is  _perfect_." She set it aside when Mary Margaret had given her another wrapped gift which, if Emma guessed correctly, would be another compact disc. Regina and Emma were going to have some fine tunes to listen to on the way to the big city. It's all to hoping that the brunette teacher had a player in her car to listen to the media.

With the smile still stretched across her face, she opened up Mary Margaret's gift to reveal that it was, indeed, another CD. This time, it was another one of her favorite artists. Boy, did she hope Regina liked  _her_.

"I hope you don't have that one, Emma. I think that it was the new album that you mentioned was out." Mary Margaret reached over to gently touch the blonde's wrist.

"No, it's perfect. Thank you, Mary Margaret!" She grinned widely and stacked her two new CDs on top of one another.

"Why do you still get CDs? Those things are like… so old." Ruby's voice muttered next to the blonde, one of her brows quirked when Emma turned to glare at her.

"I get them because I like to have physical copies of things. And if I have a car that takes CDs, and not tapes, I can play them. Or put them on my laptop, so I don't have to search up every goddamn song on the internet that I want." she explained calmly, eyes still shooting daggers at her friend.

"Alright, jeez. Sorry. I didn't realize you still lived in the stone age." The wry smile on Ruby's lips told Emma the joke was meant to be light and playful, so the blonde took it as such to not fret over it.

"Here, I got you something." The brunette waitress smirked and handed her a long, flat box. "You know, since the dance is coming up in a couple weeks and I'm sure you don't… I mean. Open it."

"You got me a dress, didn't you?" Emma quirked a brow as she tore the wrapping away, then quickly flipped the lid off to reveal black. And black was all she saw until she actually picked up the rather delicate material, which reflected some of the light in a soft sheen. "Satin?"

"Yeah, dude! I got it for me, actually, but I didn't really think  _black_  was a good color on me, you know? I prefer red and white. I figured you needed a dress in your closet, you know, if you ever go out on a date or anything. It's not  _really_  school appropriate, but with some jackets and leggings or socks or something, it'll work." Ruby gave her a cheeky grin before squeezing into the spot between David and the blonde.

"I'll try it on later…"

"You better take pictures." Now she wore a wolfish grin on her visage. "I wanna see how  _hot_  you'll look in that."

"Yeah." Emma bit her lip and tried to suppress the smile she could feel threatening to break across her face. Regina would like this, she wouldn't doubt. Maybe she could wear this to Salvatore's instead of the pantsuit outfit she had planned out. But the problem was, she couldn't wear it out of the house. Mary Margaret and David would surely freak if they caught her in this. Hopefully Regina planned on stopping by the hotel first. She could change then.

"Are you trying not to…  _smile?_ " Ruby chuckled and nudged Emma which had caused the restrains on the smile to break, and the blonde just  _beamed_  from her thoughts.

"Thank you, Ruby. I'm sure it'll come to some use."

"It better, I didn't pay a hundred bucks for that thing."

"What the fuck." Emma blinked. "How the hell did… did  _this_  cost a hundred bucks?" she squawked, holding up the thin piece of fabric.

"It was probably more than that, I dunno. And, Em, dresses are fucking expensive, and lemme tell you. I was pissed when they wouldn't take that damn thing back." Ruby snorted and glowered at the dress in Emma's hands with disdain. "So you better enjoy it."

"I will, Ruby." Emma rolled her eyes and carefully placed the dress back into the box. "And I'll get you pictures when I get home- but don't share 'em with anybody or I'll find some way to kill you."

"I won't…"

"Except for me, you mean?" Belle butted in, squirming between Mary Margaret and Emma with a big grin and a small, rectangular package. "I want to see you in a dress."

"Oh my god, guys." The blonde's cheeks burned brightly as some of the other guests looked towards them. "Fine. I will. Just… shut up about it."

"Yay! Now open up my present!" Belle grinned, shoving the neatly wrapped package into the blonde's arms. "I bet you'll love it."

"Depends on what it is…" Emma mumbled, mercilessly ripping the paper off and throwing it at both her friends. Then she looked down at the object left behind, which was a book. A very familiar book. It was that same one that brought her to her very first library so many years ago, and the one that she made sure to look for and reread every single time she went there.  _Holy shit_. How did Belle even find this? Emma couldn't find a copy of those goddamn book  _anywhere_  and she didn't bother with online sites. Most copies of the book were very nearly trashed. But this one… it was so  _pristine_.

"Do you like it? I remember when you told me this is the first large book that you've read and it meant great importance to you. I searched online for a good copy and finally stumbled on a site that had super old copies of books in perfect condition. Let me tell you, they cost about an arm and a leg, but it was totally worth it." Belle beamed at a misty-eyed Emma.

The blonde quickly wrapped her arms tightly around the small brunette and chuckled with elation. "Oh, god, Belle. Thank you so much! Holy shit, I've been looking for this for a while now. I couldn't find a good copy…"

"It's no sweat. It's your eighteenth, Em. It's a milestone in your life and you deserve the best of gifts."

"I love you, both of you." Emma couldn't help but to laugh again, this time pulling both of them into her arms. "You're so amazing, even if one of you gave me a dress."

"You know you secretly like it, Emma." Ruby smirked.

"No comment." The blonde chuckled, setting the book next to her other birthday gifts. "But I do appreciate it, especially since it was apparently so goddamn expensive."

"Yeah, you better appreciate it, bitch." The waitress giggled and playfully nudged her friend. "But, hey, no problem. I'm sure you'll get me something equally as awesome… huh?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. I've got plans for both of your upcoming birthdays."

"I want something  _expensive._ "

"I'm just happy with books." Belle commented, shooting her brunette friend a quick eyebrow raise.

"I'll be sure to save up for your expensive tastes." she grinned wryly.

"Unless you blow whatever in  _Boston_." Ruby sneered and crossed her arms.

"What?"  
'Why didn't you tell us you were going down there today?"

"Because it's none of your business?"

"Didn't her mother say that Graham was coming to pick her up?" Belle's soft voice chirped.

"I thought he was coming down in two weeks to spend time with us?"

"He is. I just-"

"Hey, Emma! I got you something, too." A masculine voice sounded behind the three friends and Emma slumped in her spot. Oh,  _great_ , here comes Killian. Perhaps he won't take it upon himself to be annoying as usual. At least she was saved for now from having to talk about why she was leaving later.

"You did?" She blinked and stared at the hand that had extended towards her. Her green eyes slid up to meet a grinning face.

"Yup."

"What is it?"

"Open it and find out." Killian waved the envelope in his hand towards her and she snatched it from between his fingers.

"Okay…" she muttered, using her thumb to tear open the envelope and pluck the card out that was inside. On the front was a lone swan (of course) on a crystal lake, and when she opened it, there was a handwritten message.

" _Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Emma. I've got you two gifts. One, look up and two, listen._ "

Emma quirked a puzzled brow at the words, but obliged, and did what it had said as she looked up to see Killian extend a single red rose to her.  
"Uh… thanks." she muttered, taking the flower. "What… do I have to-"

"Will you go to the dance with me?" He asked oh so innocently, and Emma could hear the suppressed snorts of laughter from her friends.

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I… wanted to take you to the dance in a couple weeks and I thought I could pay your fee to get in."

"Bribe much?"

"Emma," Belle warned. "Don't be so rude."

"Yeah, Em. He's asking you to the dance, and as far as I know, he's the only one that has asked you. You don't have a date."

"Yeah, because I had no plan to go." Emma looked over to the boy still standing in front of her. "No offense, but I just  _hate_  dances. They're loud and stuffy and there are so many people."

"Oh, come on, Em." Ruby whined. "Belle and I are going."

"We are?-"

"We don't want to be there alone and I doubt Killian does, either. It's just one dance and it won't kill you." The brunette waitress crossed her eyes and gave Emma that  _look_.

"Oh, come on…" the blonde began to protest, but she was cut short by a finger in her face.

"You're going to that dance, Emma Swan, unless you have other plans that I don't know about, but that's like… impossible, because you're Emma." She smirked. "Plus, I don't see a line of suitors waiting to ask you to the dance."

"And you can make good use of the dress Ruby got you…" Belle tried her best to persuade.

"You're never going to let me pass, are you?"

"Nope. Now grow a pair and say yes."

"Fu-... Fine. Only this once." Emma turned to an expectant Killian who had no doubt been eavesdropping in on their conversation. "I'll go with you to the dance… Under one condition. No… kissing or anything like that. As a matter of fact, no  _touching_."

"Oh, come on… The whole point of a dance is to touch each other."

"That sounds wrong." Rubby snorted.

"Shut up, Rubes." Emma snapped and crossed her arms. "Fine. But only touch when dancing and no place inappropriate or else I'll be gone faster than you can say sorry."

"Okay…"

"Got it?"

"Got it." He mumbled solemnly.

"Good, now, thank you for the rose." Emma smiled politely. "And the card. It was nice. I like the swan."

"You're welcome." Killian's mood seemed to change in the blink of an eye with a dazzling smile. "I've got some cake calling my name, so… I'm out. We can work out details for the dance later." And with that, he was gone.

"Well, you got yourself a date to the dance, Emma." Ruby giggled as she enjoyed the blonde's torture. "Although, it's with a  _guy_." she whispered the last part as to not let Emma's parents overhear.

"Yeah, well, I don't see any willing chicks in this school…" Emma snorted and twirled the rose around.

"Emma, honey, are you just about ready to leave? It's almost three." Mary Margaret's voice interrupted whatever witty comment that Ruby was about to say. "I know you wanted to be home to pack and change."

"Yeah, right. And I gotta get all this stuff into their new homes." The blonde nodded and stood, stretching in her place before turning to look down at her friends' sitting forms. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"And you better be telling me what Boston is like. I haven't been out of this stupid town yet." Ruby grumbled. "It's so unfair that he's only taking you up there."

"Excuse me, but who's birthday is it?" Emma smirked. "And, anyways, I'm moving up there with him when school ends. All he's doing is touring me around the city."

"I hope you have fun." Belle meekly responded. "Don't let sourpuss get you down."

"I won't." Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette waitress. "I  _was_  going to buy you some stuff, but if you're going to act like that…"

"Fine. Fine. I'll shut up."

"Good." Emma giggled and bent down to hug them both before gathering her things to leave. "Thanks for the stuff, guys. And thank your grandmother for me, Ruby, for letting us use the diner."

"No problem, and I will."

"You're welcome, Em."

They both smiled up at her and waved when the Nolans and herself left. She waved right back, all the guilt that she had earlier weighing her down once again. It was so horrible to lie to the people that you love because  _you_  know the truth and they do not. They're forced to believe in some fairytale bullshit that is made up instead of the reality behind it all. But Emma couldn't tell her friends the truth as to why she was going to Boston, like how she couldn't tell her parents. She didn't want Graham to know, either, but since she was using him, she was sort of forced to- or at least pestered to. But, there was a part of her that didn't feel so guilty because they would all learn the truth later in the future- when it was safe enough to publicise her and Regina's relationship.

That was something to be worried about later, right now, Emma needed to focus on packing for her trip. She knew that she should have done it last night, but god, did she want today to come faster than it should have. The blonde was absolutely thrilled and also quite nervous to be going on a date with Regina.  _A real date_  at a restaurant with people around them and food and waiters and that show they were supposed to go to beforehand. Oh, it was so agonizing waiting for four o'clock to come, and now that it was less than an hour away, Emma was a bundled mess of frazzled nerves.

She dumped her messenger bag for school out onto her mattress to start filling the thing up with a change of clothes, pajamas, a fresh pair of undergarments, a few toiletries, and her CDs as well as an extra pair of flats in case the boots were a little too much. Checking around the room for anything that she might have missed, Emma shucked her shoes and pants off as well as her shirt in order to try on that damn dress. She still had enough time to snap a few photos and such for her friends and possibly see if it were to be suitable enough for the restaurant.

She hadn't noticed that the top bit of the dress was a halter top, with its one strap around her neck and the plunging neckline, but upon trying it on, she felt mortified. Emma had ever worn something so  _revealing_  before. The ruffled skirt of the dress was quite short to her, cutting off at mid-thigh. The entirety of her upper back was exposed, which made the blonde feel quite uncomfortable. It was no wonder why she didn't find such attire appealing, and when she saw it on other girls- more specifically Ruby- she always wondered how they could do it. Don't they feel… exposed?

Whatever it may be, she wasn't sure if she would be comfortable enough to wear this out in public. Of course, she could always bring it with her and hope that Regina would think it to be suitable after trying it on- if they were to stop at the hotel first. Or else, she'd just wear her pantsuit, which she quickly grabbed out of the closet to dress into after peeling the dress off.

With a sigh, Emma quickly shoved the dress into her bag and zipped it up. Did she have everything?

Clothes?  _Check_. Undies?  _Check_. Back-up shoes?  _Check_. Sleepwear?  _Check_. Dress?  _Check_. Hairbrush?  _Check_. Toothbrush?  _Check_. CDs?  _Check_. Graham's address?

She rummaged through the smaller compartment of her bag and came across the piece of paper that she had stuck in there earlier.

 _Check_.

"I think that's everything…" she mumbled to herself as she found her new red leather jacket and donned it. "And still half an hour to spare. Great."

Emma sighed and plopped heavily onto her bed, grabbing her cellphone from the end table. Maybe she should see what Regina's up to? Perhaps she was ready to leave and might want to head out on the road early? With a shrug, she figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

_Hey, Gina, are you about ready? I'm all done packing and stuff, so, I guess if you want to come early, you can._

"Emma, your father and I have something for you." Mary Margaret's voice startled the blonde, causing her to jump with a surprised "holy shit."

"When the hell did you get in here?"

"Not too long ago?" The brunette chuckled, completely ignoring Emma's use of profanity. "Now, dear, since you're going to Boston and I'm quite sure you'll need food and drinks and gas and… and if you see anything you like and you want to buy it, you ca-"

"What your mother is trying to say is that we're going to give you money for your trip in case you need it. You don't have to worry about giving us back the change. Keep it as your birthday gift." David interrupted, stepping forward to hand Emma an envelope. It looked rather thick.

 _God, how much was in there_?

"Thank you, but it seems like a lot… I really don't want to take it from you."

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. They're mostly one dollar bills."

"Oh, thanks…" Emma quirked a brow. "But, really, you didn't have to-"

"It's a birthday gift from us to you, dear. Just take it and make you father happy."

"Then I'm going to use it to get you guys something, because I really can't…" Emma sighed and received the envelope of money from David before stuffing it into the side of her bag.

"Don't sweat it, Em. We love you and this is for  _you_. Not us. Spend it on yourself."

"You know I can't-"

"Emma," Mary Margaret used her stern voice, which meant she was serious and there was to be no further argument.

"Alright… Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it." Emma smiled, standing up from her bed to throw her arms around the two. "I love you and I appreciate everything you guys do for me, even though I may not show it all the time."

"We know, honey."

"We love you, too."

They both had watery smiles as they hugged their foster daughter back with tight embraces.

"Now, you go have fun, okay? Don't get into any trouble." David tucked a strand of hair behind Emma's ear.

"Yes, and if you are in trouble, don't hesitate to call." Mary Margaret reminded. "And call even if you're not. We wouldn't mind hearing from you…"

"Guys, I'll only be gone for one day." Emma chuckled. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'll call you when we get there so you make sure we arrived safely."

"Good, yes, do that." Both nodded at the pixie-haired woman's voice.

"I will," the blonde smiled and pulled her phone from the pocket of her leather jacket it when it had buzzed. It was a message from Regina.

_**I'm outside, dear. So whenever you're ready.** _

"Oh, he's here." Emma stuffed the device back into her pocket and slung her backpack over her shoulder, looking at her two sullen foster parents. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, Emma. I love you and have a safe trip." Mary Margaret was the first to pull her into a tight embrace before exiting the room with what appeared to be tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, hon. And have fun, but not too much fun." David quirked a brow in her direction and it hit Emma like a brick when she realized what he was referring to with that twinkle in his eye.

"Ew, dad, no. I won't be doing  _that_  with him, or any dude we might find." Emma wrinkled her nose and returned the hug when he had chuckled and embraced her as well.

"Good. Now, go, I don't think you want to keep him waiting."

"Nope! I'll see you Sunday. Love you goodbye." She grinned and hopped down the stairs from her bedroom with David behind her.

Soon, she felt the bitter air of freedom hit her face as she stepped out of the apartment building, a large smile on her pale, pink lips. The first thing wrong, she noticed, was that Regina's lack of appearance. She, nor her black Mercedes, were nowhere to be found.

"Goddammit," she muttered, starting to head down the sidewalk. Regina must have parked away from eyesight so her parents wouldn't see her. It was a rather smart choice, Emma thought, but a really cold one as well. It was still chilly as fuck outside, but at least her boots and new jacket kept her rather warm, although the wind was still a bother.

It wasn't long before she reached the awaiting Benz and its owner just a block down with its beautifully running engine that assured Emma it would be warm inside. She jogged the last few steps to the passenger's door and quickly got in with a shiver.

"It's cold out there," she commented, shoving her messenger bag between her feet on the floor. "I hate winter. And cold. So. Fucking. Much."

"Language, dear." Regina's husky voice sounded from beside her and it was like a choir of angels in Emma's ears. She had went all goddamn day without hearing that angelic voice and, boy, it was so nice to hear it now. Although, the twisting and constant swirl of metaphorical butterflies in her stomach had returned.

"God, I've missed you." Emma found herself saying, a sheepish smile on her face when she turned her attention to the brunette next to her. And, holy fuck, her breath was lost. That woman was  _literally_  breathtaking with that stunning smirk on her crimson lips and those smokey eyes sparkling with mischief.

"It has only been one day?"

"Which is too long." Emma giggled a little too giddily.

"I certainly do hope you won't get tired of me after spending so much time in my presence, dear." There was a light tint to her cheeks, which would have been mistaken for blush if Emma hadn't been staring at the teacher's face for the past five minutes. She was  _blushing_.

"I won't, I can promise you that. I'll  _never_  get tired of you." She replied honestly, leaning forward to place a tender kiss on the older woman's cheek. "But we should get going so we aren't later, and, uh… Do you think we'd have enough time to stop at the hotel first?"

"Why is that, dear?" Regina's voice had taken a much lighter tone as she pulled away from the curb and headed for the street out of town.

"Well, you see… Ruby got me this dress and I wasn't sure if I should wear it or not. And, anyways, I couldn't wear it out of the house without my foster parents having a fit." Emma shrugged and quickly put her seat belt on, earning a satisfied smile from the brunette next to her.

"I see. I suppose we would have enough time for you to do that. I have to check into the hotel firstly, anyhow, before our reservation expires." Regina chuckled at Emma's expression, which probably reflected how much she wanted to hit herself. Goddammit. She didn't think about that. Somehow, she thought they automatically already had the hotel room. What the hell was she thinking?

"We might be late for the show, but that shouldn't matter too much, I hope."

"Not really, I guess." Emma shrugged. "But I hope that wouldn't cost too much or anything, and for being late, I mean… would that be worth it? Graham said it cost a shitload of money to get in."

"Everything will be fine, Emma. We should only be, at max, ten minutes late. Since we are leaving early, we should have enough time to get whatever is needed to be done at the hotel." The brunette shrugged nonchalantly.

"If you're sure. I mean, I got money and stuff."

"Don't worry about it, dear. It's your birthday. Let me spoil you."

Emma's only response was a sheepish nod and a blooming blush on her cheeks. Holy shit, Regina was one that loved to spoil others, wasn't she? The blonde was in for one hell of a ride with her, for she rarely liked receiving things- especially in mass quantities- without being quite modest about it. It would be just like how she had with David and that wad of cash he gave her.

"So you say you talked to Graham?" Regina asked suddenly after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah. I asked him if it was alright that I used him as a cover." Emma shrugged, biting her lip. She should probably tell Regina that she had told him about them. She might have already expected it, but, still.

"Does he know about us?" And there it was, along with a hint of worry in her tone.

 _Shit_.

"Y-yeah…" Emma mumbled, running her fingers through her hair. "But I made him promise not to tell anyone, and Graham's a good guy. He wouldn't do that, unlike Ruby, so that's why he's the  _only_  one that knows now. But…"

"There's a but?" Now her tone was incredulous and her chocolate orbs wide with fear. "What is it?"

"He wants us to visit him before we leave tomorrow." Emma suppressed a giggle from Regina's sudden relaxing form, because she knew that she, too, would be terrified out of her wits if there were a 'but' as well in something as serious as this.

"He does?"

"Yeah. He gave me his address and a specific 'Both. Of. You.' to me. So, yeah, both of us have to go visit him." Emma chuckled this time, lighthearted and quite joyful. "I hadn't seen him in a while and he's, like, happy that we're together, I guess. He freaked the fuck out of me when I told him. He called and screamed in my ear. At first, I thought he was going to give me the cold shoulder, but, nope…"

"Nope?" Regina's brows crinkled together. "What do you mean by that?"

"He was pretty cool about it after getting over the fact that you're my teacher. We talked for a bit, and I didn't divulge much, but he knows that you make me super happy and so he's pretty happy about that." The blonde played with a lock of her hair.

"I make you super happy, hm?" The brunette gave her a warm, tender smile.

"Yes you do, ma'am. I hadn't felt like this since… Well,  _ever_ , actually and I feel that you need to know that."

"Interesting..." Regina whispered mostly to herself because she just could  _not_  believe that she could make someone  _happy_. For most of her life, she just made people's life a living hell, or so her mother had told her, so she stayed away from everyone, before forced to believe that she was nothing but a nuisance. It was nothing but a pleasant surprise to her when Emma hadn't pushed her away like most others in her life. It was a strange concept for Regina to grasp, but she was sure as hell trying because letting go didn't seem like it would leave a pleasant feeling in her gut.

They sat in silence for the better part of thirty minutes with Regina's eyes straight ahead on the road and Emma's on the scenery surrounding them, a sated smile on her lips. It was quiet, serene even, with nothing but the road and no traffic to share it with. The world outside was painted white with crystal flakes and decorated with thick woods of green and brown. It seemed so calm, and not at all the harsh cold that it really was. Perhaps it was because she wasn't out there, but in the car instead?

The warmth of the car feigned the temperature outside, but Emma was quite glad that she wasn't out there. She was thankful to be in the Mercedes where the scenery was much more enjoyable without the bitter wind. She could  _actually_  enjoy winter for once without the fear of freezing something off, even if that weren't exactly logical. Everything looked absolutely  _breathtaking_  and if it weren't for the sun reflecting off the blanket of snow, she would stare at it forevermore. The little ice crystals really could catch the sun's rays and make beauty turn into eye watering pain.

Emma let her eyes drift away from the painted scene and take a moment to look over the other beauty that shouldn't cause her any current physical pain. The blonde pressed her lips tightly together as wide, emerald eyes took the time to appreciate God's masterpiece that lay before them. Regina Mills was nothing but pure perfection and even the most gorgeous, spring day could not hold a candle to her.

"Take a picture, dear, it'll last longer." The brunette's voice shook Emma from her thoughts.

"Sorry," she relocated her eyes, catching bits of Regina's pea coat and what appeared to be a strange print in greyscale.

_What was she wearing?_

Regina chuckled, a soft melody floating through the otherwise silent vehicle. Emma smiled.  _My perfect Gina_ , were the words to echo through the blonde's head and she let them reverberate until the brunette's laughter had tapered off. Then all was quiet again except for the rhythmic hum of the engine.

"We're missing something," the older woman tilted her head in Emma's direction, the corners of her mouth quirked. "It's quite silent, isn't it? Why don't you see what is on the radio?"

"I brought music." Emma blurted, her eyes now staring at the complicated looking stereo. It didn't seem to have a CD player, but it  _did_  have a built-in tape player.

"Unless you brought tapes with you, dear, I do not think it is possible to listen to anything else besides the radio."

"I have one of those converter things." The blonde bent down to rummage through the messenger bag on the floor between her feet. It had taken her a few moments to remember where she exactly stuck it, but she eventually found the tape she had been looking for and held it up. "See?"

Regina arched an eyebrow at the object, then gestured towards the front console. "Whatever that thing does, have at it."

"They have that little end to 'em just like headphones, that's how they work. So you can pretty much stick it into any media device." The blonde shrugged, sticking the tape end of the converter before pulling her phone out and hooking the other end up to it. "And it works with phones, too."

"I might have to get one of those. It would make some use of the tape player." Regina drew her gaze to the road once again as they finally neared the highway.

"They sell them at most stores, so I'm pretty sure you can find one." Emma shrugged and tapped her foot to the beat of the music.

"I'll be sure to check into that." The brunette nodded. "I have good news, Emma, as well."

"What is it?"

"We only have a little over three and a half hours left on our trip."

"Sounds like we're making good time." The blonde couldn't help but to chuckle at the feigned excitement in the brunette teacher's voice. Regina joined in and both shared a good laugh before finally quieting down to listen to the upbeat tune floating through the car speakers.

The two of them alternated between listening to the music in companionable silence and having idle conversation for the rest of the trip. It wasn't until Regina had mentioned that the final city they were passing through was Boston itself, which had Emma's interest almost immediately. The lights of the city were quite intriguing as they contrasted against the darkness of the night. The blonde was awe-struck, barely paying any attention to what Regina had been saying to her, but she had been able to catch the tail end of it.

"... hotel just up this street."

"What does it look like?" Emma finally had turned her attention to the brunette, but had kept an eye on the passing buildings for the hotel they were to be staying at.

"It is… that one." The Mercedes had come to a halt in front of a rather tall building that had the blonde just  _gawking_.

"Wh… that's our hotel?"

"Yes it is, dear. And our room is all the way on the top floor, I think."

"How far is the Paramount?"

"Not too far. I planned accordingly." The brunette smiled and unlocked the doors to the vehicle. "Now, let us check in and get our things situated so we can make it to the show on time. We've made better time that I thought. It's only 8:15."

"Really?" It had seemed rather unbelievable that they had made great time on the trip since the traffic was quite unreal. It had seemed like  _hours_  more than it should have that they spent on the highway what with the traffic jams, and coming into the city was utter hell.

"Yes, dear. Now, let's go."

The two quickly left the car- after Regina grabbed her overnight bag- and headed into the hotel. Regina didn't even blink, but Emma just could not close her jaw. The inside of the Nine Zero hotel was absolutely elegant. To both the left and right of her lay two sitting areas, both just as fancily decorated as the other with lavish blacks and whites on walls and modern furniture. It was quite appealing to the eye, especially at a glance which had been all Emma got for Regina went a little too fast that the blonde was unable to admire and gawk. It didn't matter much at the moment, they were in a rush after all, and the little reception area was just as extravagantly decorated. Hell, even the desk was screaming with its fancy lights that reflected off the white and black marble floors.

"I really feel like I don't belong in here." Emma whispered to the brunette as she sidled up to her, emerald eyes zoning in on each person- each clad in expensive formal attire- before finally landing on the receptionist, who was also quite professionally dressed.

"Don't worry, dear." Regina flashed a toothy smile as they reached the desk. "Surely they will not mind. Besides," her voice rose as she spoke. "You hadn't enough time to change into your dress, that's why we're here."

"Hello, welcome to Nine Zero! May I assist you?" The woman behind the desk asked politely.

"Yes, I have booked a room? The Studio 501 Suite." Regina replied smoothly.

"Name?"

"Regina Mills."

"Alright! Your room is waiting." The receptionist beamed after typing a few keys on her keyboard. She soon shuffled through something that Emma couldn't see before handing Regina two card keys. "Here are your keys. Please do come down if you encounter any trouble or concern."

"Thank you," the brunette retrieved the key cards, handing one of them to Emma. "Are you ready to see our room, dear?"

"I'm scared to, actually. I mean, if the  _lobby_  is this fancy, I can only imagine what a  _suite_  would look like." Emma nibbled on her lower lip as she followed the brunette to the elevator. "I didn't think this place would be so…"

"It is one of the finer hotels in Boston. I was not going to force you to stay in a rat hole of a motel for a fourth of the price."

"I don't want to know how much this costs you…"

"Do not worry about that, dear. That is disclosed information for only I to know and for you to never find out." A devious smirk crossed over her features. "This is our floor."

"Oh, snap. Okay. Let's do this."

Moments later, Emma was gaping like a fish out of water with jaw dropped and eyes wide. The room didn't seem so much as a hotel room should, instead, it looked as if it were a small, lavish apartment. The room was just as modernized as the downstairs lobby with its posh furniture and decorative pieces. There was an entire  _sitting area_  with a black leather loveseat and a light cafe colored chair that matched the walls.

"Whoa, Regina… You outdid yourself with this."

"Oh, wait until you see the bathroom, dear. If it is anything like most other, as you say, fancy hotel suites, then you're in for a treat." The brunette kept her chocolate gaze on the blonde, a light smile lilting her lips.

"I have to pee anyways…" Emma hopped over to the one door and rushed inside to be met with the most elegant shitter she'd ever seen. People have some high priorities if they want to use something like  _this_  to just go to the bathroom in.

"Sweet mother of… Did you see this, Gina? It's fucking fancy! Not only do  _we_  get to enjoy the lavish restroom, but our shit does too!"

" _Emma_. Do you  _have_  to use such crass language?" The brunette came up behind the blonde who was still standing in the doorway, gawking at the modern, greyscale bathroom.

"Yes. Yes I do." Emma grinned and stepped into the room, dropping her bag on the counter. Then, she caught sight of Regina's reflection in the mirror and she just about gasped. That goddamn woman could not get any more alluring than she was in that moment. Her eyes were shadowed with dark makeup and the shiny, pink lipgloss really drew attention to her face, which ultimately had Emma staring at both her eyes- which were so perfectly brown and sparkly- and her mouth- which were so goddamn kissable. Her bangs were more or less combed off to one side in a rather stylish hairdo covering part of the right side of her face as the remaining had been tucked behind her left ear. As Emma's eyes skimmed down the brunette's body, she had finally figured out what that pattern was. It was leopard print, and it looked damn good on the older woman also, especially with her smokey eye maquillage. The material was also satin- just like the dress Ruby had given her- and ended just below her knee. The neckline wasn't too low and showed nothing but the smooth expanse of her olive skin. It was quite flattering, hugging every delicious curve.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Regina frowned slightly and took a step into the bathroom, one of her hands finding the blonde's shoulder.

"Y-yeah, I am. You just… You look so beautiful." That had the brunette blushing in no time.

"Thank you…"

"It's… Really, no problem at all. You're so fucking perfect, you know that?" Emma chuckled lightheartedly and turned around, taking the hand on her shoulder into her own. "I'm kinda jealous of you, but I'm also thankful that I have you."

"That's really sweet of you, Emma." Regina leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Emma's lips. "And it means so very much to me."

"Good, because I want you to know. And I know I say compliments and stuff so often, but I have a good reason. Trust me." The blonde replied breathlessly.

"I do trust you, Emma." The English teacher tilted her head. "And I do trust that you will get ready so we can make it in time to the show?"

"That went a different direction." Emma chuckled, but nodded. "I shall get changed and throw on a bit more makeup."

Regina lifted a hand to touch Emma's cheek, a warm smile on her lips. "You don't need to do that, dear. You look beautiful just as you are. There is no use hiding that beauty with cosmetics."

"Neither do you," she mumbled softly, trying her best to keep the blush forming on her cheeks sated.

"Emma," she sighed and gently patted the eighteen-year-old's cheek. "Why don't you get ready? Alright?"

"I won't let this get away."

Regina dropped her arms to her sides, her lips no longer in a smile. "If you're quick enough, I will give you your birthday gift afterwards."

"Wait, what?" Emma blinked, slightly taken aback from the sudden bribery.

"Yes. So, you get ready while I get that for you." And then she was backing out of the room without a chance for Emma to protest. The door was shut.

Emma frowned, but quickly stripped so she could don the dress. She was determined to make sure that Regina felt beautiful no matter the situation. Hopefully she wasn't  _that_  self conscious about herself, seeing as to how she reacted towards Emma's statement. The blonde would just have to catch the brunette without her painted face sometime and make sure that Regina knew there was no problem nor flaw whatsoever with her visage. She was a beautiful human being with looks to die for.

The blonde only wished she were able to look that goddamn stunning. Most days she was sure she resembled a truck and felt rather self conscious if someone were to look at her. Of course, Emma rarely wore makeup to cover herself up, and she was quite sure Regina knew that, but she realized that it  _did_  make her look much better- although, half the time, she couldn't bother to do anything about it. Now, though, she was determined to look her best for Regina when they were to go out. Perhaps the two of them could dazzle the room with their beauty, or at least the brunette would.

"Are you almost ready, dear?" she heard that very brunette's voice call out from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I'm done, actually." Emma gave her reflection one last glance before turning around to open the bathroom door, and when she did, she swore Regina's jaw would detach itself. "Uh…"

"You look stunning, Emma." She whispered, her voice had become huskier than before and her eyes much darker. "Beautiful… Breathtaking…  _You_  are perfect."

"Aw, come on… Not really…" Emma turned a light shade of pink, her green eyes focusing on the ground. She felt so  _exposed_  and even more so underneath the intense gaze of the brunette. She dared to look up again, willing her skin to not heat up upon meeting Regina's seemingly hungry eyes. "Did… didn't you say you were going to give me something?" she coughed.

"Oh, yes… Right." Regina fumbled with a small, rectangular wrapped package before handing it over to the blonde. "I do hope you like it."

"I probably will." Emma shot her a reassuring smile and delicately opened the wrapping paper to reveal a sleek, black case. It looked like one of those jewelry cases that necklaces usually came in.  _Oh snap_.

The blonde sucked in an anxious breath as shaky fingers pried open the box to reveal a rather simple necklace, but it was rather priceless to Emma. It was a circular, silver pendant with a single swan in the middle of it and the piece was attached to a simple, silver chain.

"Oh… it's so… I love it!" Emma's mouth upturned into a rather large grin and her arms flung around the brunette. "I really love it, Gina. Thank you so much!"

"I'm so glad that you do, darling." Regina whispered, kissing Emma's forehead before returning the hug. "Why don't you turn around and let me put it on for you?"

"Of course!" The blonde nodded and handed the swan pendant to Regina, then turned around for her to put the necklace on.

"You know, I was doing some reading," the older woman spoke as she brought the chain around the younger woman's neck. "About swans, that is. I read that they mate for life. Quite interesting, isn't it?"

Emma's breath hitched when Regina said those words. Was she trying to imply something or was she just innocently informing Emma of the swan biology? She would just have to play this one out and keep it cool. Nothing would be happening right now anyways, right? They were to go to the Paramount soon.

"Yeah, that is pretty interesting. I guess they're kinda like humans… Well… Maybe not. I mean, how we do marriage would be mating for life, right?" Emma stumbled over the words that seemed to be leaving her mouth.

"Something like that, dear." Regina gave her an amused smile. "It's all about finding the right one, and when you do… You just know."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. There's like this little radar that goes off." Emma raised her brows and turned around to meet Regina's gaze, holding it for several long moments. Oh, god, could she just get lost in those muddy pools for hours…

"Did you know that one-fourth of black swans are homosexual?" Regina suddenly inquired, breaking eye contact.

"No shit?"

"They're male, though. But I am pretty sure that there would be females as well. After all, homosexuality doesn't affect just one gender, right?" The brunette fluffed a blonde lock on Emma's head before quickly turning to grab her coat.

"Right…" Emma swallowed thickly and retrieved her new red leather jacket, which had earned an eyebrow raise from the brunette teacher. "What?"

"Where on earth did you get that godawful thing?"

"Mary Margaret. Why?"

"That explains it…" Regina's brows flew up to her hairline as she picked up her small handbag.

"What?" Emma frowned, following the brunette as she headed for the door. "She bought it for my birthday."

"I couldn't fathom why someone would spend money on such cheap material."

"But… I like it…" Emma's voice was small and when Regina turned around, the blonde's faced resembled that of a kicked puppy.

"You like it?"

"Yeah. That's why she got it."

"My apologies," she cleared her throat and headed hastily towards the elevator with Emma hot on her trail. "Come along, dear, with your hideous jacket and pretty face. If we rush, we'll make it there early."

* * *

After the show, both women headed out of the building caught within a rather large crowd that had decided to exit at the same time. The two of them tried to leave a little early before the rest of the group had, but had been unfortunate when there were many others with the same idea. They were unable to get back inside due to the excessive amount of people stringing behind them as well as every other side.

Emma had, at one point, taken Regina's hand in her own, lacing their fingers together to keep from losing one another in the crowd. When the blonde had looked up to see the older woman's reaction, she melted. The brunette had a warm, radiant smile on her glossy pink lips, although she had kept her eyes forward as to not run into anyone.

It felt like ages before they were able to completely exit the building, and even longer before they were finally inside the restaurant- still hand in hand. Being behind a few people, Emma was able to take a look around the restaurant. It was just as nice and exquisite as every other place that Regina had taken her to. The brunette teacher must have quite an expensive taste because she knew all of the right places to go and she had, yet, to take Emma somewhere that the blonde wasn't so impressed with.

The lighting was dimmed and- with the dark, chic furnishings- made it feel as if they were still outside with the artificially lit streets. The setting was rather romantic and the soft melodies playing through hidden speakers didn't counter it, even with the buzzing chatter of the guests.

"It's really nice," the blonde whispered to her date.

"I know, dear. That's why I'm taking you here." Regina flashed her a pearly smile, but the look hadn't lasted long as they were next in line. The brunette applied her fake smile and genial voice. "We have a reservation for two under the name Mills."

"Mills for two," the host repeated, his eyes scanning through the reservation list in front of him. He made a positive sound upon finding the name and looked up with a friendly smile. "Meghan will show you to your table, and she will be taking your order."

A young, blonde server smiled at the two before speaking. "Right this way, please."

Regina nodded and followed behind the server, which had ultimately forced her blonde companion to follow with a surprised grunt. They were shown a small table that seated two, which had been quite close to another couple's table, and uncomfortably so. Emma had finally released the brunette's hand to take a spot facing opposite the second table as Regina seated herself away from them. Each were given a menu and a choice for beverage- which both had taken just a water- before the girl was off.

"It's kinda tight in here." Emma mumbled across the table to her date. "I can literally feel those guys next to us breathing."

"You are right, dear, but that is the downfall of restaurants next to opera houses." Regina lifted her gaze, her whisky eyes twinkling in the dim lighting. "I do hope you will be able to survive with our lovely dinnermates."

"Yeah…" Emma could only shrug, trying her best to ignore the way one of them kept staring at her all the while talking to his wife- or so she assumed the woman was, seeing as to how they appeared to be around Regina's age. It was no doubt he was probably chattering about her age, since she did appear to be the only one at least under the age of twenty. Of course, that made sense because most were couples on a date like she and Regina, or in larger groups- most of which were passed middle-age.

"Is something wrong?" The brunette frowned and reached across the table to place a hand lightly on the blonde's wrist.

"I feel so out of place," she whispered, looking to the olive toned hand. "Everyone is so much older than I and… I feel like I don't have a right to be here."

"Oh, sweetheart," Regina brought her other hand over to cup Emma's pale, delicate one and bent forward to place a kiss atop it. "Do not worry about them, alright? You belong here with  _me_. We have every right to dine here for our date, just like everyone else."

Emma took in her words with a simple nod of understanding. Regina was right. She was just letting her anxiety get the better of her. There was no need to panic about other people's thoughts when Regina's was the only that mattered.

"No you don't." The blonde's head snapped up to the table next to them. The man had spoken and his partner had turned to face the two, as Regina did the same with a glowering expression.

"Pardon?" The brunette's voice was surprisingly calm.

"You heard me." The man's voice was far more aggressive than it should have been. Both Regina and Emma flinched at the tone. "People of  _your_  kind should not be allowed to eat with the rest of us."

"People of  _my_ kind? Do you have something against latinas?" Regina's brow quirked, but she knew what the man was referencing and it had nothing to do with her race.

"What? No! Don't make me out to be a racist, because I am  _not_  that."

"Oh, but you sure can be homophobic, can you not?" Emma sneered and felt Regina's grip tighten on her hand.

"Emma, dear…"

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Regina gave her a slight nod and another light squeeze to her hands before speaking once again in a collective tone. "I do not see the harm in us dining in this fine establishment. We are not intentionally causing others discomfort, but you, sir, you are disturbing  _us_."

" _I_  am disturbing  _you_?"  
"That is what I said, yes. You have disrupted our dinner by making a rude comment about our life choices."

"It is you who are disturbing  _us_. We are trying to have a peaceful meal, but  _you_  had decided to come out of your stupid closet to bother us."

"Pardon me?" Regina's brows knit together, anger momentarily flashing through her eyes before they returned to their cool, calm, and collect state. "All we are doing is simply sitting here, trying to enjoy the light atmosphere as we wait for our server."

"They won't serve you." He spat and his wife nodded, finally speaking with every bit of digust in her voice.

"They wouldn't dare serve such unnatural behaviorists like yourselves. I mean, take a look around. Do  _you_  see any other… homosexuals around you? I don't think so."

That woman sounded like a complete bitch, Emma thought, scowling from behind Regina's form.

"Perhaps not tonight,  _dear_ -"

"That is just  _disgusting!_  Did you hear that, Lawrence? She's trying to  _flirt_  with me."

"That is untrue." Regina tried to defend herself, but the others wouldn't let her talk.

"That's the way of the lesbian. They're shameless." The woman's husband, Lawrence, sniffed. "They'll flirt with  _any_  woman in their general vicinity."

"All of them are simply  _animals_. They have no morals and I cannot conceive  _why_  they would let such… disgraces walk among us normal folk and  _work_  at their businesses." Regina flinched, her grip tightening on Emma's hand.

"The definition of 'normal' is changing, but if your head wasn't so far up your insipid  _ass_ , you would know that." The brunette grit her teeth. "Pardon my language, but you really need to open your eyes. The world is changing around you and much quicker than you think. I am as much as a human as you are, the only differences are that I prefer women over men and I, at least, have a more logical thought process than you and your insolent husband."

"Now the lezzie's gone hostile!" Lawrence shouted, drawing attention from the tables further away. Emma felt her cheeks heat as she looked around, noticing that most of the restaurant's guests were now staring in their direction.

"I am  _not_  hostile! I am just stating a simple fact. If anyone were abusive here, it would be  _you_." Regina whipped completely around, releasing her death grip on the blonde's hands.

"Is there a problem here?" A man in a black tuxedo had walked over to the two couples. He smelled of authority.

 _Must be the manager_.

"Yes, there is!" Lawrence sneered, his wife nodding in agreement. He jabbed a finger in Regina's direction. "These two  _queers_  are bothering us and it is  _disgusting_. I didn't want to have to cause any sort of disruption, but they are meddling with my wife and I's meal."

The man in the suit turned to Regina and Emma. "Are you bothering them?"

"No, we are not. We were simply sitting here, waiting patiently for our drinks to arrive and that gentleman over there made a rude comment towards our  _private_  conversation. Then he proceeded to insult our life choices and altogether disrupt our dinner." Regina explained, her voice had reverted back to her usual calm tone. "I would even encourage you to ask the other lovely guests around us."

"There is no need for that," he smiled widely at her, then turned to gaze at the scowling couple next to them. "I had already asked a few of the servers that had witnessed this and their story is most consistent with yours, Ms. Mills, is it?"

"I do not fib." The brunette simply said. "And I dare not express my profession to prove such a point, but I cannot lie on the job."

"I believe you." The man gave her a genial smile before turning to the couple once again. "I wish not to do this, but I must ask you to leave the premises. Thank you for dining with us."

"We won't be coming again if you're going to allow  _that_." The woman scoffed as she stood, grabbing her items.

"You're all sick!" Her husband growled as the two left the restaurant, but not before shoving their dinner plates to the floor on the way out in a petulant manner.

"I do sincerely apologize for his unruly behavior. Why don't you let us treat you to dinner? The meals are on us." The manager offered, motioning to the abandoned menu on the table. "Choose anything you wish and we shall bring it out for you."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Regina said softly, taking correct position in her seat again.

"But we insist. After all, it is our job to keep our guests happy and stress-free. I will give you time to decide and have Meghan come back to take your order. I wish you a fantastic rest of the night and please, I do hope to see you again." His never ending grin was still in place as he turned to walk away, muttering something to their server who had been standing close to the two tables.

"Well, that certainly was exciting." Emma giggled softly and looked through the menu, eyeing all of the delicious choices. Her stomach growled just reading the enticing descriptions of each.

"It was, indeed." The brunette agreed, a small smile placed on her lips. "Unfortunately, assholes like them are not uncommon for me."

That had the blonde frowning. "Are you going to be alright, Gina?"

"Yes, I will be fine."

"He said some hurtful things…" Emma reached across the table to delicately cup the older woman's face, the warmth from the contact immediately spread and warmed the blonde's heart. "I don't want you to think anything bad of yourself. You are an  _amazing_  woman."

"Emma…" Regina's eyes drew upwards to meet with emerald, slender fingers wrapped around a pale wrist.

"I… I really like you and I don't want to see you hurt, okay? I will do everything that I can to make you show that gorgeous and perfect smile." She let a smile of her own spread across plum painted lips.

"Okay," the teacher whispered with a small nod of her head. Then there was a slight twitch on her lips before it turned into a full fledged grin. "You always make me smile, dear."

"Good, I'm glad." Emma's smile on grew wider as their gazes locked in on each other's. There was something swirling in those brown orbs staring back at her. She couldn't quite place what it was, but she knew that whatever it was was something that the brunette felt deeply, even if she didn't have knowledge of it.

"Have you decided what you would like?" Regina suddenly broke the intense moment, the expression in her eyes dissipating quickly. "I've taken interest in the chicken alfredo."

"That sounded good, but the farmhouse burger sounded better." Emma set the menu aside and beamed.

"Of course you would order a burger in a classy restaurant." The brunette tsked, but continued to smile. "I suppose we need our server to place our order?"

So they had called the server over, who had been passing by at the time, and ordered their desired meals. It didn't feel like long at all before their plates were set in front of them, Regina inhaling and basking in the aroma of her pasta dish as Emma nearly drooled over her delicious looking burger.

The two of them ate in comfortable silence, each a little too hungry to hold a decent conversation while stuffing their faces with food. At one point, Emma had taken her fork and stole a piece of Regina's chicken, which in return, earned her a disapproving look. They both had ended up laughing before Emma nearly forced a piece of her burger into the English teacher's awaiting mouth. The brunette was rather reluctant at first to eat such a pedestrian dish, but had soon released an unwelcome noise of satisfaction after having tasted the juicy meat. The blonde laughed and lightly teased her before both went back to their meals and ate in silence once again until they had completely finished.

After a few more apologies from the taff about the couple's rude behavior, Emma and Regina made haste to the Mercedes and left the short distance back to their hotel. It wasn't long before both were to their room's floor at the higher part of the building and giggling over the pet dog that they had seen downstairs in the lobby.

Since the hotel was pet friendly, there had been a few guests with small dogs roaming around downstairs in what Regina called the "Canine Lovers Anonymous" group. Whatever humor he was trying to add to that, emma just couldn't pinpoint, so she had laughed regardless.

But the dog they had seen was a complete fluffball. Of course, the canine was adorable as hell and originally wouldn't have been a laughing matter if it hadn't been pink- which had matched its owner's attire and own crazy ass pink hair. Regina had had a hard time trying to express her thoughts through her wheezing laughter.

"A cotton candy ball with legs and a trolldoll… phone the newsmen." was what she had tried to say, but it came out rather garbled and all that Emma had caught was "cotton candy with legs and trolldoll newsmen" which had ultimately made her double over halfway down the hallway to their hotel room.

It had taken them a while to finally calm down and enter their hotel room when Regina had finally succeeded in sliding the key card through the slot. Then, as they entered the room, they were engulfed by darkness and silence. The only noise to be heard were the rhythmic sounds of their breathing.

"Lights," Regina flicked a switch next to the door, turning on a light just above the door, illuminating the room. She soon kicked her heels off by the door, sighing with relief to be out of them and took her pea coat off as well, folding it neatly onto the couch. Emma, too, did the same by taking her boots off and red leather jacket, placing each next to Regina's own.

"It's good to get out of that," she commented, wiggling her toes.

"Indeed it is," Regina turned around with a smile on her face, but it all soon fell away as she caught sight of the blonde's attire for the second time. Emma had been too embarrassed while they were out to remove her jacket, so instead of showing off her goods and new dress, she decided to roast in the leather.

"Gina?"

"You…" The brunette trailed off, her lips parted as whisky eyes roved over the blonde's body and the exposed areas of skin. Emma scrunched her eyebrows together, her skin pebbling with goosebumps underneath the older woman's salacious gaze. When Regina's eyes finally met hers, she noticed them to be quite darker, like they often were in such moments. Curious.

Then, without warning, Regina had surged forward and pinned the blonde against the wall- making sure not to break anything upon it in the process- with her lips crashing against Emma's. It had taken Emma's brain a while to register what the hell was happening, but when she did, she just melted into the kiss and returned it with heat.

The brunette teacher's mouth continued to hungrily move against Emma's, only deepening when she had felt arms curl tightly around her neck and heard a soft moan from underneath her. Then she broke away from the kiss, leaving a panting Emma with nothing to do but whimper from the loss. But that was soon replaced with another soft moan that shot straight to the brunette's core as she trailed her lips down the soft, satin-like skin on the blonde's throat.

"Gina…" Emma gasped when she felt teeth graze against her delicate flesh.

"Emma," the brunette whispered back, raising her head to place a rather sloppy kiss to the corner of Emma's mouth, then pressed her own lips against the blonde's in a more appropriate kiss.

Without separating their lips, Regina carefully began to walk backwards, pulling the blonde with her by petite hips. It took a bit of stumbling and a few bumping into walls before the brunette had finally found the bed, which hadn't been at all graceful. The back of her knees hit the edge and caused her to collapse onto the mattress, leading to her pulling Emma down as well. It had all happened without breaking the kiss and they were still locked together in a passionate, yet quite heated, liplock. Their mouths molded together, moving at their own special rhythm.

Then, finally did the two break apart, gasping for air with flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and dilated pupils. They were only mere inches away from one another, heavy breath blowing steadily against each other's heated skin.

"Do you want to…?" Regina's breathless voice inquired and Emma knew immediately what she had meant. The blonde didn't give much thought, and responded with a nod of her head.

Regina nodded silently as well and tentatively brought a hand up to the back of the strap of Emma's dress. The blonde waited with baited breath, her cheeks no doubt turning a deeper shade of red, especially when the entire top fell away and pooled around her waist, exposing her to the brunette.

Regina's eyes flicked up from Emma's bare chest to meet with sheepish green eyes. "You're beautiful," she whispered, bringing a hand up to gently cup one of the round globes.

The blonde bit her lip and let her eyes droop shut, arching ever so slightly into the tentative hand. Regina's hand soon shifted and her thumb grazing over the already taught nipple, which had Emma groan unexpectedly and arched even further into the touch. God, everything ached right now, but the uncomfortable throbbing between her legs had her yearning to be touched. But the brunette seemed to have different plans as her head ducked forward to press a few tender kisses to the swell of Emma's breast, then it was her tongue soon replacing to taste the slight sheen of sweat forming on the pale skin.

" _Oh_ …" The blonde's breath hitched when she felt that very tongue lave over the sensitive bud, and she ached for Regina to do it again, but the brunette moved away altogether, a devious smirk on her lips.

"I want you to take your clothes off." she purred, her voice causing a great deal of heat to pool in Emma's lower belly.

The blonde nodded and obligingly slipped her dress off the rest of the way, which had left her in a pair of black cotton panties. Her eyes hit the floor as she sat on the bed, being eaten up by the brunette's eyes. Dammit. Why didn't she have any sexy underwear? This was almost as big a turn off as granny panties.

"I-I know my underwear isn't sexy or anything… I… I never really had a reason- and I don't really… didn't really care… no one was going to see 'em anyways." Emma babbled, trying to amend the undergarments she wore.

"Take them off." Regina husked, her eyes had darkened until they appeared almost black.

"I know they're hideous…" The blonde mumbled.

"Take. Them. Off." The brunette's voice was now a low growl. "I don't care what they look like. I want to see  _you_."

"O-oh…" Emma could feel the blush rising up her neck as she pushed the panties from her hips and down her long, pale legs. Then she tossed the scrap of material aside, self-consciously crossing one leg over the other.

"Oh, dear, you do not need to cover yourself. You are absolutely  _stunning_." Regina grinned, her eyes taking all of Emma in. "If it makes you feel more comfortable, I will undress as well."

"No sense in only one of us wearing clothes…"

"Indeed," the brunette smirked and quickly lifted her dress over her head, tossing it towards the small pile of clothes.  
Emma just gawked at the older woman's body. She was nothing but pure  _woman_  with delicious, shapely curves, smooth, olive skin, and, holy shit, her breasts were amazing. They weren't exactly perky, but they were still so plump and Emma wanted so desperately to feel those soft mounds in her hands. Regina had worn nothing but a black pair of lacy panties that had soon come off and piled next to the other clothes, leaving her completely bare in front of the blonde.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous, Gina." Emma reached out and tugged on the brunette's arm, forcing her to collapse back onto the bed. "I would die for a body like yours."

"You've still got some growing to do, dear." Regina smirked, although the blush on her cheeks was quite evident.

"I guess." Emma giggled and scoot to the middle of the bed where Regina had immediately crawled after her, and even further than that as her body began to hover over the teenager's small form, forcing her onto her back with anxious, green eyes. Her heartbeat increased incredulously as did her breath as dark, chocolate eyes bore into her own.

Then lips crashed together, tongues dueling against one another for some sort of dominance. Emma could feel the older woman's leg move between her own, gently nudging them apart, and right then, the blonde knew this was serious. Of course, she had figured that out a while ago, but it was really happening now. The way that the brunette's knee pressed against her center had Emma squirming with a whimper, her hips grinding desperately against it.

"Oh, god, Gina…" she whispered, her hands finding purchase on the brunette's back where short nails slightly dug into the soft flesh.

"You are  _soaked_ , aren't you, dear?" The brunette growled, one of her hands disappearing between their bodies. It had found the blonde's aching core to prove a point as her fingers moved along the slit and teasingly dipped into the folds. "Do I really make you feel this way?"

"Y-yes…" Emma gasped, her nails digging into Regina's back when she felt one of the fingers easily slide into her. "You always have."

"Have I?" she asked, sliding the digit out only to thrust back in, then repeated the action in a steady rhythm. "I know that  _you_  make me so very  _wet_. Just the very thought of you just shoots heat right to my very core…"

_Oh, god, her dirty talk was hot._

Emma never thought Regina to be the type to say such crass things, but then again, never judge a book by its cover. The brunette  _did_  mention there were things that Emma didn't know about her, and apparently quite dark things such as this.

"Tell me, Emma," she hissed into the blonde's ear, adding another finger with her thrusts. "Have you ever touched yourself while thinking of me? Have you ever wished that your own hand was mine instead?"

"Yes," the blonde groaned, her hips moving at a steady pace to meet each of Regina's thrusts. "O-on several occasions…"

"You're a dirty, dirty girl, Emma." Regina chuckled and pressed a kiss to the blonde's throat. "I find it quite… arousing." she purred, trailing her lips further down the blonde's torso, her fingers continuing their pumps.

"H-have you?" Emma questioned through several pants, heavy with desire.

"Have I what, dear?"

"Have you touched… yourself with thoughts of me?" It sounded quite strange coming out of the blonde's mouth as she asked her  _teacher_  that very question.

"Yes," was the brunette's simple answer as she now lay flat on her stomach, her head level with Emma's soaked core.

"Oh,  _god_ …" Emma moaned, her fists twisting in the sheets as she watched Regina's head disappear between her thighs and felt that goddamn tongue start to teasingly lick at her sensitive flesh.

Her breaths were nothing but short puffs, her heart hammering as if on overdrive in her chest. That woman sure knew how to use her tongue, and quite well, Emma noted as she felt the pink muscle slip between her folds and find the sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Shit… Re-Regina…" Her brain nearly blanked when Regina's tongue relentless moved in time with her fingers, strumming against the blondes clitoris, her back arching off the mattress in response as her hand desperately tried to find something to grab onto for dear life.

Emma's brain  _had_  blanked when the brunette's fingers curled and hit the right spot that pushed the blonde over the edge. Her toes curled and her body stiffened as she rode the waves of pleasure coursing throughout her entire being, Regina had helped her ride it out with a few more thrusts of her digits.

"F-fuck…" The blonde had finally regained control of her mind and body after finding ground once again, her heart thumping wildly as if she had just run a marathon. Emma had opened her eyes from their squeezed state and stare at the brunette as she climb back up to lay next to the blonde, a wide smile on her lips.

"I hope I made a good first impression," she mewled, one of her hands pushing a few strands of blonde hair behind Emma's ear.

"Considering you're my first, I must say you did a pretty good goddamn job." Emma rolled onto her side to face Regina.

"You didn't divulge in such information." Regina quirked a brow. "You've never had sex before?"

Then she shrunk against the bed, looking quite ashamed of herself, because, no, she hadn't. She probably should have told Regina at some point, but it really didn't seem to matter. It wasn't like she had anything that would give any indicators of that. Of course, her inexperience would probably falter the brunette and make her rethink the entire thing.

"No," she muttered quietly, feeling quite small at the moment.

"I wish you would have told me," Regina frowned and cupped the blonde's cheek. "I would have made it special for you."

"But this  _was_  special…" Emma tried a smile, her hand covering the older woman's. "Really special for me. Don't fret about it."

"Oh, but sweetheart…"

"Hey, there'll be plenty of times where you can make it special- I mean if you wanna do this again. You probably won't after you let me attempt to touch you." She'd probably suck horribly at it.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were to have fault. It would be your first time, after all."

"Yeah, I suppose," she shrugged, letting her hand fall away to Regina's hip. "Want me to try it?"

"Well, I  _am_  rather horny at the moment," there was that humorous twinkle in those brown eyes again. Emma just  _loved_  that look.

"Then let me take care of that. Or at least to the best of my abilities."

"As long as you make me orgasm, I am satisfied." Regina smirked, nuzzling closer to the blonde until they were but a hair width apart.

"I shall be determined." Emma leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and kissed Regina softly.

It wasn't long until the kiss had gotten heated to where they were very nearly trying to swallow each other's faces. Emma's hand- that had been on Regina's hip- dropped down to the brunette's lower belly. She certainly did hope that she didn't screw anything up and that meant that she had to keep her mind cleansed of all fears so she wouldn't do just that.

The way Regina's groaned into her mouth as her fingers danced across her skin had Emma encouraged, and enough so to let her digits travel further until they reached the patch of intimate curls covering the brunette's sex. She felt Regina's legs move, opening up for the blonde's exploring fingers, and so she took the invitation to delve deeper into the soaked curls.

"Oh, god, I  _need_  you, Emma…" The brunette panted, grinding wantonly against the blonde's hand. "I'm  _aching_ …"

"Then I will give you what you want…" Emma murmured against the teacher's cheek as she used her fingers to part the folds and explore between them. She allowed her slender digits to slide vertically within the crack of Regina's intimate flesh, her fingers already soaked with the brunette's arousal. The noises she had started to make had her movements speed to a faster pace.

" _Please_ ," Regina panted, her hips rocking against Emma's hand, desperately seeking for more pressure. The blonde smirked, obliging her simple plea and guided her fingers up until they grazed over the pert nub that had the brunette gasp and arch her back into Emma.

" _Right there… oh… yes…_ " Emma applied pressure this time as she allowed her fingers to run over the sensitive bundle once again, and again before stopping to rub tight circles against it, which earned few guttural moans of pure bliss. Then she felt a tight grip on her arms, which had alerted her that Regina had started to use her as some sort of ground to set her feet on as her hips continued to move at an even quicker pace than before.

"I-I'm close, Emma…" she groaned, hiding her face in the blonde's neck. " _Oh, god… faster…_ "

The blonde bite her lip and tried her best at a faster pace, trying her best to ignore the stinging, sore muscles in her arm as it began to protest the mundane movement. Just as Emma thought she would have to stop, she felt the brunette's intimate bits constrict and her movements suddenly slowing to a stop as she came. The blonde held onto Regina with her free arm as she continued with her motions, although a little slower, and helped ride the orgasm out.  
Regina's stiff form soon turned limp as the high was over and Emma's second arm wrapped tightly around the brunette's body. The older woman's face was still buried in Emma's neck, and she could feel the heavy breaths that puffed against her skin as she soon moved away after a few moments.

"I hope I did good," the blonde whispered, looking down into exhausted, brown eyes.

"You did excellently, Emma. Perfect, even."

"Good," she mumbled, nosing into the sweat soaked raven locks. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I did enjoy it. Perhaps a little too much." Regina chuckled softly, yawning shortly after. "I don't know about you, but I am exhausted."

"I am, too." Emma mumbled. "Is it always this tiring?"

"Not always. But we've had a long day and this was the perfect ending to it." The brunette responded, shifting out of Emma's arms. The blonde frowned at the loss of heat, but was soon aware that Regina had been moving to crawl underneath the blankets. Quickly, she did the same and snuggled underneath the warmth.

"Right. I think it's sleepy time, don't you?"

"Yes." Regina yawned once again and squirmed closer to the blonde's body. "Goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight, Gina…" she could only whisper in response, her eyes drooping helplessly. How the hell she got so tired so quickly was beyond her, but hell, she would take it if that meant actually sleeping.

"I love you," Emma heard Regina's husky voice mumble beside her, which had the blonde do a sort of double take at the older woman. Green met brown, and green instantly melted.

She knew what that look in the brunette's eyes were now. Oh, god, how could she be so stupid? How could she be so stupid with herself, even? Here she was, her feelings for this woman slowly growing even before they had started to date. She denied it all she would and convinced herself that she had liked the brunette, and nothing more. There were no deeper feelings for her, but she had been dead wrong. All of these feelings she had for the brunette. The utter joy she had upon seeing that smile on her face, her desire to  _make_  that smile appear on her face, the butterflies she got with just one look, the way her heart fluttered with every touch, the way her heart just seemed to  _expand_  with every sweet word… It had all boiled down to one thing. That one thing that Emma was afraid of the most, and that was  _love_. No matter the situation, she was always reluctant to express her feelings if it had involved love. It was one of her weaknesses and a terrible one at that.

It Emma were to be in this situation, say, four years ago, there would be no way she could ever respond correctly to it. She would more than likely run away like she did with most of her problems- or when things got serious. But ever since moving to Storybrooke, things have changed greatly.  _She_  had changed greatly and today's Emma  _could_  express how she felt more easily. Even if that particular feeling were love. So she did what the new Emma would do and said it.

"I love you too."


	14. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: ANDITSSOLATEPLEASEDONTKILLME. I know I hadn't updated it in a while. I deeply apologize for that, but everything has been absolutely crazy the passed couple of weeks for me. As I had said in the last chapter's author's note, I will be moving by the end of this month. it'll be exactly one week from today that I will be moving and I am not sure if I will get another chapter or not completed within that time frame. I will try my best for you lovely readers!
> 
> I have a list of excuses as to why this is super duper late. (Again, I apologize). For one, my laptop BROKE. The monitor stopped working altogether, which makes sense since one of the hinges was broken anyhow. I'm surprise it had lasted this long like that. But, I had luckily got a new one (or next-to-new), so we are golden with that. I also had a lovely five day weekend that I probably could have used to catch up on writing, but it was rather hard to concentrate when you are trapped in a hotel room with a hyper, six-year-old nephew. Also, I've been a bit busy with packing and such (but not all too much since I literally spent eight hours straight writing this lovely chapter, which I hope isn't shit because I am SUPER exhausted :D).
> 
> Anywho, I would LOVE to thank you all for your patience and wonderful reviews! I appreciate that you aren't creating a mob or something to hunt me down by now. So thank you. :) But, here is a new chapter of Teacher's Pet for you, even though it is super duper late! I really do hope you enjoy it! And please leave a review, I'd love read what you think! (you guys are always so entertaining and thoughtful with your reviews and I greatly appreciate your feedback and shameless suggestions ;))

 

"Ah!" The blonde teenager jolted upright from her slumber as she felt something heftily slap her on the chest. And, boy, did that hurt like a son of a bitch.

 

Emma groaned softly, stirring in her spot to glare at the source on the opposite side of the bed. However, the glowering look hadn't lasted more than a few milliseconds before realizing that it had been Regina- who current was still slumbering with the most innocent look on her visage. The woman was absolutely stunning and the way that the morning sun's soft rays of light had Regina's skin absolutely glowing. She was nothing but pure perfection, her body was like the ones in magazines- or so Emma would think. Although, her position was a little awkward- being splayed out on her stomach with one arm under her chin and the other haphazardly thrown on Emma's side- and she must be cold with her thighs being the only thing covered.

 

Regina must have rolled over just moments ago and accidentally throw her arm on Emma in one of the most unpleasant ways. But the blonde still couldn't be angry at all with the brunette, for she was sleeping after all, plus, she looked just so damn adorable with that relaxed expression on her face.

 

"Beautiful…" Emma whispered, bringing a hesitant hand out to gently stroke the older woman's raven locks. Regina stirred only slightly, a soft smile on her face before a snore ripped through the otherwise quiet air.

 

"Fuck, you're… still too adorable." She smirked and stroke the brunette's cheek with the back of her hand. She knew how much Regina detested being called adorable, because she just simple  _could not_  be. Emma did not care, she would keep calling Regina adorable all she wanted until she finally accepted that fact, or at least the fact that the blonde was rather relentless.

 

Right now, though, the brunette didn't exactly fall in the adorable category- or at least when Emma let her eyes drift down the taut, sunkissed skin of Regina's back.  _Damn_ , even her back was beautiful and perfect, and it look so touchable…

 

She ran her fingers through brunette hair one last time, her fingers sliding from the tendrils to skitter down the olive toned flesh. It was just as soft as it had looked and lived up to her imagination. Emma's eyes followed her fingers as they traced the brunette teacher's spine, stopping abruptly at the base with wide eyes. There, underneath her pale fingers, was  _not_  natural colored flesh.

 

_What the fuck?_

 

Emma moved her hand away to squint at the rather small discoloration to find it shaped as a deep, red apple. A  _very_  detailed apple, at that and it appeared to have very small words written around it. Quite strange, is it, to have an apple on her lower back? The blonde knew that she loved the fruit, but why would she have a tattoo of one? And what the hell did it say?

 

Suddenly curious, Emma wiggled her way down the mattress to soon come closer to the apple tattoo. It was rather hard to concentrate on what the tiny words said when the older woman's voluptuous behind was in her face. They were like two scoops of fucking ice cream and looked far better out of those tight skirts and ass-hugging slacks. Her dream of being able to touch Ms. Mills's ass had come true, and god, she could  _actually_  do it if she wanted to right now.

 

 _But_ , she had a mission to complete. Tearing her eyes away from Regina's bum, she, instead, guided her attention to the apple that lay in a very enticing place and read the small, cursive print.

 

" _Flip me over and have a taste of my forbidden fruit._ "

 

"Fucking hell…" Emma reread the small font several times over, trying to conceive what it had said and make sure that she hadn't misread anything.

 

"I see you've discovered my tattoo." A voice, heavy with sleep, grumbled and Emma's hand felt the vibrations underneath it as Regina had spoken. That didn't sate her more-than-mild jump of surprise and embarrassment of having being caught.

 

"Y-yeah…" The blonde stuttered, trying to find the right words to not sound like a complete idiot. "When… Why? I mean…"

 

"I know what you mean, dear." The brunette's body began to rumble with laughter. "I got it when I was your age, dear. I was young and careless and I didn't think it mattered- since I strongly believed that I would be a successful writer with a risqué tattoo- also, defying my mother seemed quite an attractive idea. But I was wrong about my career and my defiance. I'm lucky that I got it on my lower back, so it's easily hidden."

 

"But… why…" Emma sucked in a breath and squirmed her way back up to face the brunette, who was still lying in the same position. "Why  _that_?"

 

"I like apples and I thought it to be humorous at the time since apples are the forbidden fruit as well as... well, genitals. I was a rather… dirty girl."

 

"You still are…" The blonde mumbled under her breath, earning a chuckle from the older woman.

 

"Indeed I am, so the tattoo still suits me, correct?"

 

"You like apples." Emma shrugged, a smirk playing on her lips as her fingertips traced the contour of the apple tattoo. "And I'm quite sure your  _forbidden fruit_  tastes delicious."

 

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" The brunette flashed a seductive grin, her nose wrinkling ever so slightly as she bared her pearly teeth. "And I'm being absolutely serious when I'm asking you that question."

 

"Oh, are you now?" The blonde's fingers made small, circular strokes around the tattoo on the small of the teacher's back. "What does this say, now?" she asked innocently, bending over the older woman to take a peek, her blonde locks lightly tickling the olive toned surface.

 

"Why don't you read it and find out?" Regina purred.

 

Emma let a grin spread wide across her lips as her eyes, once again, scanned over the words. "Flip me over and have a taste of my forbidden fruit." she repeated what she had read. "God, you're bad, you know?"

 

"Oh, I know." The brunette chuckled deeply, which had raised the hairs pleasantly up on Emma's body. "I do hope you know what you need to do."

 

"I think I do." Emma bit her lip and brought herself onto her knees to get better balance on the bed. She reached for the opposite side of Regina and, without hesitancy, flipped the brunette teacher over, earning a squawk of surprise.

 

"Why, hello there, dear." The brunette smirked, her whisky colored eyes staring lustfully at the blonde above her.

 

"You're even more beautiful in the sunlight, Gina. Breathtaking, even." Emma whispered as she moved to straddle the older woman's hips. A sweet smile was soon spread across her lips, and a hand had found its way onto the brunette's soft cheek, her thumb stroking it in the slightest.

 

Regina nuzzled the warm hand, her eyes half-mast as she watch Emma through slit eyes. Her cheeks were dusted with pink, her eyes on Emma's every movement and her breath hitching when the blonde's pale fingers roamed over her satin skin, soon covering one of the swells on her chest.

 

Emma couldn't bite back the smile that spread wide across her lips. The expression Regina wore was breathtaking and also quite arousing. Her visage was relax with a blissful, pleasured smile. Her breast felt like a little sack of heaven, which was everything that Emma will have thought. It was soft and firm, and the peak of it greeted Emma's hand eagerly.

 

"Emma…" The brunette murmured breathlessly, slender fingers combing through the girl's blonde mane.

 

"It's soft," she muttered stupidly in response, kneading the mound of flesh rather slowly, as if she were admiring and marveling in the feel of it. "I think I found my new favorite thing."

 

" _Oh_ , have you, love?" Regina purred, pressing herself against the blonde's hand. There was a soft smirk on her plump lips as she let her fingers slide through the younger woman's curls and down her smooth, pale back.

 

Emma shivered underneath her touch and grinned at the little endearment as she shift her body into a far more comfortable position, nestling herself between the brunette teacher's spread legs. "I am 'love' now?"

 

The older woman nodded, her arms now wrapping completely around Emma, pressing their exposed skins against each other. "Indeed you are,  _my_   _love_. You are all mine and I am all  _yours._ "

 

"Who would have thought that," the blonde chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to Regina's throat, then trailed soft kisses further down until they reached the brunette's clavicle. Her lips peppered the expanse of skin there, causing Regina's body to shake with small bouts of laughter. Emma couldn't help the curve that immediately lifted her mouth into a grin. What  _did_  Regina taste like, she wondered? She  _was_  in the correct position, and she was quite sure the brunette surely wouldn't mind if she licked her? So Emma did just that, dragging her tongue back up to Regina's throat, using the valley between her breasts as a guide.

 

_She tasted faintly of apples._

 

The brunette shivered underneath the younger woman's mouth, her back slightly arching and her nails digging into Emma's pale skin.

 

" _Oh, Emma…_ " she mewled into the blonde locks.

 

Emma smiled against the teacher's sun kissed flesh as she soon brought them down once again, tracing an invisible line down Regina's torso. The further she went, the louder the whimper came from the brunette, and a few pleas for her to soothe her aching arousal. It wasn't long before Emma had reached the woman's intimate flesh, her body now flat on the bed and her head level with Regina's slick heat.

 

Tentatively, the blonde laved her tongue along the older woman's folds, her eyes immediately drooping as she enjoyed the new flavor that exploded on her taste buds. Regina was sweet, just as her favorite apples, and slightly bitter- but in all good ways possible. Emma could swear she was her new favorite flavor, and every time the blonde would eat an apple, she would be brought back to this very morning- or at least her thoughts would veer to the brunette.

 

" _Hu… yes… More, Emma. Please._ " The brunette moaned, her back arching as her hips gyrated forward against the blonde's mouth, trying to add more pressure and movement to her aching center.

 

Emma abided the request and proceeded to repeat her movement, this time adding slightly more pressure as she ended on the older woman's sensitive nub. Regina's body jerked slightly before grinding against the blonde's face, her legs spreading wide as she begged for more. Emma could only groan against the slick flesh in response before slipping her tongue into the brunette, her hands finding purchase on the insides of Regina's thighs.

 

Emma set a steady pace as she dart her tongue from Regina's writhing form. The brunette made few noises as she concentrate on finding her release, which hadn't taken long as the blonde slipped her tongue from the older woman's entrance and found her throbbing bundle of nerves, and flicked the little pink muscle over it until she came with a soft cry of pleasure. Her back arched off the bed in the intense moment of pure bliss and her fingers tugged and twisted in the soft blonde locks on her lover's head as she helped the brunette through the spasms of her orgasm and the aftershocks, licking and laving up any juices that had seeped out.

 

" _Fuck_ ," the brunette allowed a soft moan to rumble in the back of her throat when Emma had finished up with her licks and crawled back up the length of Regina's body.

 

"Language," Emma whispered, pressing a kiss just below the older woman's ear. "You always tell me to keep a clean mouth."

 

"Having sex is an exception." Regina smirked and wrapped her arms tightly around the younger woman's body, her chest heaving as she continued to catch her breath.

 

"It sounds sexy coming from you."

 

"You think everything I do is sexy, Emma."

 

"That's because you're just an all-around sexy woman, Gina," Emma purred. "And I love it. I love  _you_."

 

That had the brunette teacher smiling, a watery, yet affectionate smile, spread widely across her lips. She brought a hand up to push a few strands of the blonde hair from Emma's face before cupping her cheek. "And I love you, beautiful."

 

The blonde's cheeks heated with embarrassment and buried her face in Regina's raven locks, inhaling the faint apple scent with a purr. "You're a sweetheart, Gina. And I'm genuinely surprised… just… flabbergasted that you actually  _love_  me back."

 

"Why wouldn't I, dear?" The brunette frowned softly, her tanned fingers combing through golden strands of hair.

 

Emma let herself go limp against Regina's body, a strained sigh slipping from her lips. She never though anyone would love a kid, a person, like her. In every home that she had ever been in, she had never been loved- or at least truly so. The blonde had been set to firmly believe that she would never be worth anyone's love, especially after the foster kids had brought her down and rubbed her unworthiness in her face.

 

But there was Regina, here in Storybrooke. There  _was_  Storybrooke and the Nolans, who loved her dearly. There was this  _place_  that actually made the blonde teenager feel happy and feel wanted. And there was that  _one_  person, that one person that loved her in the ways Emma thought would never be a possibility. It was something like a miracle that the blonde was ever able to find Regina, even though she may be several years her senior. Age didn't matter in love, did it?

 

"I'm an unlovable, worthless piece of trash, or so I had been told many times when I was younger… and them some until I arrived here." Emma murmured, scooting her body down the brunette's slightly to lay her chin on the older woman's chest.

 

"Oh, Emma, dear…" Regina had a visible frown on her face, although had nothing but love sparkling in her chocolate eyes, not a single dose of pity. "Why haven't you told me this before?"

 

"I don't want people to feel sorry for me or anything… and if I say something like this to certain people, they may think that I  _am_  looking for some sort of sympathy. But I'm not. I... I just like to be left alone." Her eyes fell shut as she felt Regina's hand gently caress her cheek. "It wasn't like anyone cared about me, anyways. I was nothing but a dirty street kid, a-… a broken foster kid."

 

"Let me tell you something, Emma." Regina shifted slightly up to bring her back to the headboard and Emma up with her. Her soft, pink lips pressed a tender kiss to the blonde's awaiting forehead. " _You_  are worth something to  _me_. I  _love_  you… I love you more than I ever thought I could. Dear, I have similar fears to your own that I have not expressed to  _anyone_. But that is not the point.

 

The point is, that those kids were wrong. Everyone deserves love, everyone is worth something, and everyone has a purpose. They were just trying to hurt you because they were already hurting, and I doubt that they would want to see you happy and whole while they were shattered…"

 

"I know… I've figured all of that out. But what they have said to me had stuck and my brain  _believes_  that I am not worth any time for anyone, especially not worthy of love.  _Your_  love." The blonde tilted her head, emerald eyes meeting with soft, brown ones. "You're an amazing woman and you deserve so much more than me."

 

"But I don't want anyone else but you, Emma." Regina whispered, bringing Emma's face closer to her own. "You've shown me that I could love and that someone could feel the same about me."

 

"But what about our age difference? Aren't you… scared? Disgusted? Turned off by it?"

 

"I was at first, trust me, Emma. I was. It had scared me- these feelings that were starting to form upon meeting you and our time spent together. I found myself slowly yearning to see you again, and anxious for the fourth period class when I would see you again. And lunch, where we would talk and spend time with one another… alone. I liked being alone with you and I still do quite enjoy it.

 

And when we first kissed, I knew where I was with my feelings for you. And right then, I knew that I couldn't possibly lose you- at least so soon. All of the fears about our age difference and the consequences that might come of our student-teacher relationship had vanished. Love doesn't know any boundaries, and life is too short to pass up such a rare opportunity. You never know if it will come again and you'll never know where something like this would go if you were to pursue it.

 

Emma, I do love you, however strange that might be. And I want to… I don't want to scare you, or anything, but I do not want to let you go."

 

"I can't promise anything, Gina. I can't. One day I may up for whatever the world may throw at me and the next I might want to run away and hide…" Emma sighed softly, her voice a soft murmur. "Love is scary to me and I'm not used to it. These feelings might make me want to run… but I think of the consequences and the one that keeps me grounded would be the thought of how it would affect  _you_. I don't want to hurt you by just giving into my fears. But whatever might happen between us…"

 

"Nothing bad will happen." Regina whispered, petting the blonde's hair in rhythmic strokes.

 

"How can you be so sure?"

 

"I can't, but someone needs to say it so we're reassured and that we'll believe nothing bad will happen. I know that whatever we have here will be a long, bumpy road, with many twists and turns, and something will be bound to happen, but we'll just have to strive through it… Unless we can't."

 

"I don't want to get to a point like that." Emma sighed and rolled onto her back next to the brunette woman.

 

"I assure you that it won't happen anytime soon, alright, sweetheart?" Regina flashed her that perfect, radiating smile before tossing onto her side with a finger trailing down the blonde's abdomen. Emma shivered from the contact, her muscles constricting with angst.

 

"Now, let me-" The teacher grunted slightly as she hoist herself up and on top of the blonde teenager that lay next to her. "-make love to you. It's my turn."

 

"Make love?" Emma quirked a brow and bit her lip as dark, lust filled eyes stare curiously at Regina.

 

"Yes. I am going to make up for last night… I want to make this special for you- and even more so now that you know of my feelings. I can whisper 'I love you' as I fuck you senseless." The brunette purred, her hot mouth mere inches from Emma's own.

 

"… fuck me senseless." She echoed.

 

"Yes, I will, my love." Regina smirked, pressing her lips lightly to the blonde's. "And I do hope you will enjoy it."

 

"I will, Gina. I definitely will." Emma breathed, tilting her head up to capture the brunette teacher's plump lips again, this time in a proper kiss. Her fingers twisted in raven locks as the older woman kissed her back with great vigor, the entire lower half of her body pressing against Emma's naked flesh.

 

Their lips molded together in a heated tango with pale fingers curling into raven locks and olive fingers skating down porcelain flesh. Emma's breath hitched as she felt those very fingers slide further south, down her awaiting flesh. When they met with her core, her entire body reacted with great enthusiasm; nails digging into tanned flesh, hips bucking upwards, and legs closing in around the hand that pleasured her.

 

" _Oh, Regina…_ " she moaned softly, her back arching slightly off the bed as her hips continued to roll at their own mediocre pace when the brunette teacher had started to slowly add pressure to a certain spot that had Emma's eyes nearly rolling to the back of her head. "Please don't stop."

 

"I don't plan on it, dear. The precious noises that you make are quite… enticing, and they are my new favorite melody." Regina purred into the blonde's ear before using that mouth of hers to trail tender kisses down the sweat-beaded skin of Emma's neck. "I plan to keep the song playing. After all… this is special."

 

"Mhm… _yes_ , it is." The blonde bit her lip, her eyes squeezing shut as the brunette let her fingers pump harder onto the spot that had her squirming on the bed underneath the older woman's slowly rocking form.

 

"God, you're a dirty girl aren't you? You like this, hm?"

 

"I-I do…" Emma groaned, her short nails digging into Regina's arms as the brunette made one hard thrust, then proceeded to keep at that pace.

 

"Tell me, how much do you like this?"

 

"I love it," she tried to keep at the new pace, her hips grinding and moving wantonly against her lover's hand.

 

"Good." The word that came out of her mouth was a deep, seductive growl that had Emma nearly over the edge already. "Now, tell me… What do you want? Do you want  _more?_  Do you want it  _harder?_  Do you want it  _faster?_  Tell me, Emma dear,  _what do you want?_ "

 

"I-I want all of those things." Emma couldn't help but to moan her words as the brunette had, in fact, sped up with harder thrusts, her fingers soon delving further between the folds and knuckle-deep into the blonde's body.

 

"Then you shall receive, my dear." Her voice was nothing but pure lust and her pupils were blown wide with desire. This woman was nothing but a walking, talking body of pure sex and everything she did, even so much as a single glance, had Emma tingling in all the right places. Did she only hope that she at least sparked  _something_  for the brunette teacher as well. Regina  _had_  said something about the way Emma made her feel, hadn't she?

 

" _Fuck, Gina_ …" she whimpered, the pace of her lower half increasing in time with each wrist flick. " _Please… m-more…"_

 

"Of course, my dear." The brunette smirked, her mouth soon attaching itself to the blonde's neck with teeth scraping against pale flesh and tongue tasting the salty surface. " _Anything for you…_ "

 

"You're so sweet." The blonde murmured against raven hair as the older woman made her move down to the swell of flesh on Emma's chest. Her lips ghosted over the soft mound, her tongue every so often darting out to catch a taste of the pale skin until it had reached the already hardened nub waiting as it protruded proudly in its rose-colored glory.

 

Then Regina's hot mouth was covering the tip and sucking rhythmically with each thrust she put into Emma. This had the blonde squirming in her spot, her back arching almost involuntarily into the brunette's mouth and her entire being moving to the beat that the older woman had set. It wasn't long until she felt the pressure building and thought nothing but to achieve the release that she needed. Every movement was jerky and frantic, and she could feel the brunette's fingers moving faster and her tongue swirling even quicker around her swollen nipple.

 

And then she exploded. Little white stars clouded her vision and she felt nothing but pure bliss as her body tensed and slowed in its ultimate release. And as she was coming down from her high, Regina's fingers pulling from her body and her mouth moving away from her chest, she heard three little words expressed in a husky, yet rather sweet, whisper.

 

" _I love you_."

 

"I love you, too," she panted, sinking against the mattress, completely spent.

 

"I like it when you say that." Regina smiled sweetly, brushing a few wayward strands of gold from Emma's face. "It feels so…  _good_  to be loved by someone."

 

"Have you never been loved by anyone?" Emma frowned and shifted her body as the older woman occupied the open space next to her. "I couldn't imagine that."

 

"My mother was the only one to ever love me, or that I had ever loved." She confessed, her voice meek. "It was all of my mother's fault, really. She's one of those twisted women that get into your head and make you believe everything that she says, and her being my mother was just the icing on the cake. She made me… she made me believe that no one would ever love such an insolent child such as I- or at least that's what she said whenever I will have done anything remotely a normal child should."

 

Emma's face creased into a much deeper frown at this new information as she digested what the brunette teacher was telling her. That was really fucked up, but she feared that what Regina was telling her right now wasn't even the worst part of it. The way her chocolate orbs shimmered was proof enough, if the next words that came out of her mouth were.

 

"And, even when I was good, she had always said she was the only person in my life that I needed. My father had died when I was rather young and she had said that it meant our bond and love for one another would only be stronger since there would be no one else to love. Any friends that I had had when I was younger somehow always managed to disappear at some point in time- either to move or altogether quit talking to me. I had always suspected my mother, after all, every time one of my friends had disappeared, she always tried to reassure me and say that mother loved and liked me the most and that she would never leave me like those ungrateful brats, and that mother was the only one that I had ever needed.

 

"By the time I had ever reached middle school and high school, I was known as the loner. The only time people had ever taken notice in my presence or had wanted to talk to me was when they wanted something. My mother was, and is, quite rich. I probably should have been the most popular girl in school and living the dream with all the luxuries that I had, but I was nothing but a mama's girl. But behind all of that was a darkness not even the devil himself could imagine…

 

"Despite how much my mother manipulated me and had caused my ever growing loneliness, I loved her and I firmly believed that I needed no one besides her. She had corrupted my young mind and it had taken me quite some time to figure out that that was wrong and that I shouldn't have had to live like that. I know now what she was trying to do, especially after my leaving home- which was hell in itself.

 

"She had literally kicked me out after she found out that I was gay." Regina closed her eyes, a few tears slipping down her flawless olive face. "God, and what a way for her to find out. She was supposed to have been taking a business trip and wasn't due back for a while. My mother had decided- instead of calling ahead and informing me of her arrival- to surprise me with her presence… and with surprising me, came surprising the girlfriend that I had at the time. Least to say, she wouldn't have bought the sleepover bit that I had used before since the girl and I were completely nude and virtually humping each other against the wall.

 

"I was freshly graduated from high school and she had wanted to keep me home for whatever twisted reason she had planned. That woman was manipulative, abusive, and not the least bit of sane- and boy, was I definitely glad to get the hell out of that place. Perhaps not at first, since, after all, I was alone, afraid, and my girlfriend had freaked out and dumped me. But I managed to put myself together and use the money that my mother had saved up for me in a college fund.  
"After finding solid ground, though, and acquiring a job at the local newspaper, I had realized how much better off I was without my mother. I found that it was easier to breathe without her suffocating aura around me and I felt free for once. Of course, I still had all of the fears that my mother had shoved into my head haunting me on a daily basis. It was rather hard to become friends with others, and after having to survive three other schools with fake friends because of my rich background and the lies that my mother had crammed into my brain, I just hadn't trusted anyone. My mother was the only person that I needed in my life- and for some reason I had always wanted to make her proud. I…"

 

The brunette paused, her lips slightly parted in thought about what she had wanted to say next. Whatever it was, it was putting up a rather difficult battle inside her head. She hesitated a bit more and Emma thought she wouldn't even finish her thought, but then she spoke with a very,  _very_  quiet voice that the blonde would have missed if she weren't so concentrated on the teacher's next words.

 

"I still want to…"

 

"Hey, you don't have to feel bad about that. You're lucky to have a mother that loves you…" Emma reached out to gently grace her fingers across Regina's tear stained cheeks.

 

"I know… but I feel so horrible for wanting her. She... she was the only one that I had ever talked to about major personal things… A-and I felt so lost when she stopped returning my messages. Ever since that day she seemed so distant and all I want is my mother to love me again. I want her to be proud of where I'm at… I want that look on her face- like the last time she had visited a couple years ago- where she just had the  _biggest_  smile on her face and that  _twinkle_  in her eye that- that made me  _melt_  because she was  _proud_. She was proud of where I had gotten in life and that I wasn't fucking up like I had been when I first started out… I-I was being a good girl.

 

"I-I  _was_  a good girl… b-but I must have done something that made her want to…. That made her disconnect… She doesn't love m-me anymore and I've been a bad girl… I've done several bad things since her departure that made her not love me anymore…"

 

"Gina…" Emma's green eyes were wide as saucers as she watched the brunette teacher break down in front of her, the sentences she was trying to form soon turned into senseless babbling about how her mother did not love her anymore and that she was such a bad girl, even though she was trying to be good.  
The blonde's heart went out to the woman. They weren't so different after all, as Emma had thought they were. Regina seemed to have the perfect life and she even envied her, but after hearing what her mother had done and what she was… She wasn't so jealous anymore. The two were more alike than Emma could ever imagine. Neither had luck with friends nor love and both were convinced that they would never be loved nor liked- although each were different in their own ways.

 

"Hey, look, ba-…uh…Regina, I'm sure your mother just got caught up with stuff or maybe something happened and she just can't contact you." Emma tried her best to comfort the sniveling woman. She was quite awkward in these types of situations and she didn't know quite how to handle them. But that didn't stop her from trying. Regina was her girlfriend after all and she loved her more than she ever thought she could love another, and she just did not want to see her cry, because seeing her cry broke Emma's heart.

 

She softly stroke raven locks in attempt to calm the shaking form next to her, her fingers also traveling down the woman's back and then back up again to repeat. "Gina… Gina… you're her only daughter, yeah? I doubt that she doesn't love you. A mother always loves her child in some way and by the way you were talking about her, she wants nothing but your love as you do hers. Perhaps something went wrong when you had last contacted her? Maybe something was said or missed, or seen, I don't know… But there has to be a more logical reason than her not loving you- because I doubt that."

 

"I-I don't know, Emma…."

 

"When was the last time that you left her a message?"

 

"I-… a few months ago. It was the last in many that went unanswered."

 

"Why don't you try to call her again or something? Maybe there was something wrong with the phone service, because I know sometimes those can be a bitch. Something could have gone down, I don't know. But I do encourage you to try and talk with her again… see if something changes?" Emma ran her fingers through Regina's hair one last time before pushing a lock behind her ear. "I mean, I kinda suck at this type of stuff and I don't know what the fuck to say. I hope-"

 

"That sounds like a good idea, Emma." The brunette cut her off. "I hadn't thought of that. I shall contact her once we return back to Storybrooke. It would be rather rude of me to call her while we are on our date, no?"

 

"Do whatever you want, b-… Gina."

 

"Are you having a hard time with speaking as well, dear?" Regina cracked a smile through teary eyes as she brought a hand up to wipe at her cheeks.

 

"I want to call you 'babe' or 'baby' for some weird reason. I dunno. I was never one to think that I would use pet names or anything and I don't think those really suit-"

 

"Use them if you wish, sweetheart." She chuckled, a husky and melodic sound that had expanded Emma's heart and brought a smile to her face.

 

_Yup. She could definitely listen to that laugh on repeat._

 

"Really?"

 

"I do not mind at all. I find it rather… sweet, and anything from you will make me smile regardless." She purred, leaning forward to press a kiss to Emma's cheek. "So, please do use those cute little pet names that you feel so inclined to say. I do not mind one bit, and I would rather like it. Just remember, though, when we are in class you may not call me 'baby'. You must-"

 

"Address you as Ms. Mills, yes, I've got it." Emma gave her a wry smile, but they had both ended up laughing regardless. "I've got it,  _babe_."

 

Then she was snickering with a hand flapping uselessly in the air. Emma stare at the brunette with incredulous eyes, unable to comprehend what the hell was going on. Did Regina finally lose it?

 

"What the fuck, Gina?"

 

"You said 'I've got it, babe.'" Her words were several strangled gasps as she tried to stop the snickers, finally succeeding enough to speak.

 

"What's so funny about that?"

 

"I've got  _you_ , babe." The brunette finally muttered, a wide smile on her face.

 

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't get it."

 

Regina jutted out her bottom lip and gave Emma the most pitiful of looks before flipping the covers completely onto the blonde and slipping out of the bed. "Figures you wouldn't. You're too  _young_."

 

"Hey! No age jokes! That's… that's… age-ist!"

 

"Age-ist, Emma?"

 

"Discriminatory!" The blonde corrected as she also clambered out of bed, following the brunette as she moved across the rather spacious bedroom bit of the hotel suite. "Anyways, what did you mean by what you said?"

 

"I've got you, babe. That's a song, a rather old one at that-"

 

"Oh!" Emma lightly slapped the older woman's tanned arm as the light bulb finally lit up in her head. "I know what you're talking about! Sonny and Cher, man, I love that song. Kinda. Eh. It's alright. I like Cher, I mean."

 

"You do?" Regina grinned and turned around, seizing both of Emma's hands. "I love her."

 

"I never took you as a Cher fan, Gina."

 

"Likewise," the brunette arched a brow. "I thought you were mostly into rock."

 

"I am, but the arsenal of music that I enjoy are quite contradictive to one another. It's strange, but so am I." Emma giggled as she was dragged into the bathroom. "Also, for my birthday, I got her new CD. Maybe we can listen to it sometime?"

 

"That sounds like a brilliant idea, darling." Regina smiled, turning around to place a kiss on the blonde's nose. "But right now, we need to bathe and set off. It's nearly eleven and that's the checkout time."

 

"Shit, right. And we still need to find out where the fuck Graham lives so we can visit him before we leave."

 

"Indeed, dear. So we must act fast and take a shower together to save time."

 

"Oh, kinky-"

 

Regina rolled her eyes and turned on the overhead shower, then gave Emma a gentle push towards the tub. After the blonde had gotten in, she did as well. "No funny business, alright? We don't want to get back too late."

 

"Okay…" The blonde muttered solemnly. Even though they had just finished a wonderful round of steamy love making, Emma wanted more. She wanted Regina's hands on her and she wanted to touch Regina. She loved the way the older woman's sun-kissed skin felt so soft underneath her fingertips, or the way her breasts felt like little sacks of everything fluffy… And not to forget the way she moaned and groaned when Emma touched her- that was climax-inducing itself. She was so beautiful, the blonde had noticed, when she had pure bliss on her features. She looked so relaxed and Emma was proud of herself for making the teacher react in the ways that she did. And it wasn't bad, either. The woman tasted damned good and Emma found herself already hungry for more.

 

Oh, god, what had Regina Mills done to her? She felt so goddamn insatiable and all she wanted was that goddamn sexy woman's hands on her. This shower was going to be rather long if there were to be no funny business, as Regina had said.

 

* * *

 

The funny business as Regina had said shouldn't be had was, for once, listened to. Emma hadn't tried to touch her or make any advance and the brunette didn't either. It made things much quicker, although, they were quite built up with sexual frustration- or at least Regina was.

 

She had virtually punished herself by applying the rule before climbing into the shower because she had nothing but an eyeful of blonde beauty, and a luscious ass that she could definitely have breakfast on. And, god, when Emma had turned around she was met with boobs. And boobs were all she was concentrated on until she managed to peel her eyes away to meet with emerald ones, then she had melted. Good thing she was in the shower, because she was quite sure she would be a puddle if she had looked any longer into her young lover's eyes.

 

It was quite cliché to say such a thing, but it was true. Regina couldn't believe it herself, upon gazing at the blonde as she nonchalantly wash those beautiful blonde locks, that she could feel something like this for someone. The things told in those romance novels were true. Her heart could just  _squeeze_  in her chest and sometimes it hurt, but it felt so good. She could even feel a dopey smile form on her lips as she just  _stare_  at the eighteen-year-old in front of her, who had her eyes closed and was trying to do what they were supposed to be doing and rinsing the soap from her hair.

 

So many times did Regina restrain from reaching out to touch Emma and run her fingers through her hair, or lathe up her body with the small bar of soap. Of course, it would have been innocent enough if they were to wash each other, but Regina knew that one touch and they would be having sex right there in the shower, because she just  _could not_  keep her hands off the blonde- and Regina was quite sure Emma couldn't do the same, either. So she had to abstain from doing such a thing. They weren't supposed to fool around again. They didn't have the time and they needed to get the hell out of there before it got too late.

 

They had packed up everything and checked out just in the nick of time. It was literally 10:59 when the two had reached the front desk, both with damp hair and sheepish smiles. If the receptionist had noticed their condition, she sure as hell didn't say anything about it. Neither one had cared about their appearances for they were in a rush to get the hell out of Boston- or at least the Nine Zero for now, since they still needed to pay a visit to Graham.

 

Emma had a moment, after entering the car, with the paper with Graham's address in hand and her cellphone in the other. She had asked if Regina felt comfortable with going over to Graham's apartment, because she didn't have to if she didn't feel too uncomfortable with it. Regina had asked Emma about her friend's persistence upon them coming to visit him and what he would think if they were to not show up at all. That's when the blonde had revealed that it was Graham that had suggested that Regina needn't go over to his apartment, and that Emma didn't exactly mind if they were to just go straight home since he would be coming down in a couple of weeks- which would be just in time for winter break.

 

But, Regina being the courteous one, had decided that she didn't exactly mind if they were to go to Graham's apartment and visit for a while. Besides, the blonde was using him as her cover and why not visit him as the least they can do as a sort of payback. Anyways, Regina wouldn't mind thanking him, either, for allowing her to take Emma out on a real date. It was worth everything in the world for what had happened last night and even dipping into this morning. This trip to Boston had been a huge step in their relationship and everything from this point on will be much more serious for the both of them and quite life-changing as well. The road ahead was an unclear and long one, but it was sure as hell worth the ride.

 

Although, the road that they were currently on was absolute hell. There was traffic both left and right in abundance that was quite unpleasant. This would make their trip twice, or even three times, as long as it should be. And they were still quite lost. Graham had only given Emma the address to his apartment and Regina had told the blonde to ask her friend for directions. Of course, they hadn't known where they were at the time and that had taken at least another ten minutes to get the street address to where they were.

 

Finally, and luckily, Graham had been able to pinpoint their location and give them directions to his apartment. They had taken each turn and road each street that he had told them and that Emma had repeated to Regina every so often.

 

"And take a left, then we're there." Emma announced with a chipper tone, a wide smile on her face. "Fucking finally."

 

"Language, dear." Regina gave her a wry smile, reveling in the way Emma had made petulant face as a child would when they were scolded for using such language. The brunette had always enjoyed reprimanding the teenager when she used crass language- or any of her students for her face- because it was so goddamn hilarious when they made a scoffing noise or that face that clearly represented the whole 'oh shit, she heard me' thing that had them almost apologizing at her feet. She quite enjoyed being the authoritative figure and having control over the younger population of the school- or at least her classes- most of the time because sometimes they could just be plain assholes and not listen, or insult the hell out of her thinking that she didn't know. Usually, she never took what they said to heart, it really wasn't a big deal. She remembered being in school and having teachers that she didn't like very well, so she could related to them, like every other teacher could. And she wasn't the best teacher, she knew, or at least she wasn't as lenient as some of the teachers in the school and they don't like that about her. They should know that they can't get everything so easily, but apparently this generation thinks that they could just get things handed to them. Whatever that may be, she would never slacken her teachings, and they needed to be taught not to slack off and to try their best rather than give a half-assed job on their assignments. Perhaps continuing in the direction that she is taking, she could benefit greatly from it down the road- or just get fucked over in the end like everything else that she had in her life. Whatever it may be, she'll just stick to what she's used to and see where that takes her.

 

"We're here!" Emma grinned as they drove up the street that Graham's building was on and parked in front of it. Soon, the two of them got out of the vehicle and made their way up the path to the rather rundown apartment building.

 

Of course, Regina hadn't expected anything more than this, seeing as to how Graham was just a college student and she knew that his family wasn't exactly wealthy. He was lucky to have an apartment to himself, and Emma was lucky that she would be able to readily move into one as well once she had graduated from high school.

 

That thought, though, had Regina's heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to think about Emma graduating and leaving her behind in Storybrooke. Although, there really was no telling where their relationship would be at that point in time. If they were still going on strong, what would they do? Would they have a long distance relationship? Would Emma decide to stay in town? Or would the off-chance of Regina wanting to move to Boston with her arise? She honestly did not know and really didn't want to think of the future- especially if it had meant a drastic change in their relationship.

 

"What the fuck is that stench?" Regina heard the blonde beside her groan as soon as she opened the door to the apartment building. The brunette wrinkled her nose upon smelling the scent that Emma was referring to. She couldn't quite place what it was, but it was a rather rancid odor and she wished to escape it quickly. Hopefully Graham's apartment didn't smell this horribly or else she would get sick.

 

"I am unsure, but let us quickly get to your friend's apartment so we don't soon find out."

 

"Agreed…" Emma reached over and slipped her hand into the teacher's, earning a smile from the brunette, and led her towards the stairs. Soon enough, they arrived in front of a door with the numbers- or what was left of the numbers and what could be deciphered from the original paint- 208.

 

The blonde knocked on the door with three, sturdy raps and backed up, the grip she had on Regina's hand tightened ever so slightly as they waited. Regina, in return, had squeezed her hand back and smiled, moving to stand behind the blonde. Even though she said she was ready to come here and not feel any sort of discomfort, she still felt rather shy about meeting a new person- especially one so young and one that could be secretly judgmental of hers and Emma's relationship. Her thoughts and any sort of worry quickly dissipated as the slide of a lock sounded and the doorknob to the apartment opened up to reveal a rather handsome young man with a scruffy beard and kind eyes.

 

"It's about time that you showed up." Graham joked as the two stood outside his apartment door, Emma rolling her eyes at his statement. He had an accent, Regina noted as she eyed the man before her curiously. It sounded rather familiar. Had she had him in a class before?

 

"It's only one," The blonde playfully shoved his shoulder- obviously joking since it was rather late- as Regina stood behind with an awkward look on her face. She really didn't as comfortable as she thought she would coming here with Emma. The two were so familiar with each other and the brunette felt as if she were in high school again, being placed in a classroom full of people that had at least one friend with them as she sat alone, nose in book.

 

"Still, too late. I've been up since ten." He sniffed and stepped aside, allowing room for the two to enter. "Please, come in. I know it's not the tidiest, but it's a hell of a lot cleaner than that hallway."

 

"Yeah, it reeks out there. What the hell, man?" Emma wrinkled her nose before following behind her friend, Regina's hand in her own. As they entered the apartment and the door was closed behind them, Regina was relieved to find out that it did not, in fact, smell anything like the putrid hallway.

 

"I don't know, it's a shitty building." Graham shrugged, leading the two following behind him to the living room. "I didn't have enough money to get an apartment on the good side of town."

 

"I know. I'm just joking, Graham. Shit. I'll be living here soon anyways."

 

"Oh, you're still going to move up here?" He smirked and gave the brunette teacher behind Emma a look.

 

Regina, though, tried to avoid the young man's stare. It was bad enough that she recognized his face from one of the previous years. He had taken her English class his freshmen year. The boy's name didn't ring a bell at first, but now that she  _knew_  who he was and what he looked and sounded like, it made things quite more problematic than she thought.

 

It was like gazing at the students in her classroom, knowing that she was coupling with one of the students within their age group. And she couldn't let them know nor find out. She couldn't let  _anyone_  know, but here they were, virtually  _flaunting_  their relationship in front of this boy.

 

The brunette teacher felt uncomfortable with this entire situation. Emma had given her an option upon whether or not she wanted to come, because she had said that despite Graham's persistence, he didn't want to make either one feel uncomfortable under the pressure of having to visit. Regina had said that it was fine, and that she hadn't minded visiting Graham at all. After all, how bad could it be? And she would be doing it for the girl that she loved- who also wanted so badly to see her best friend.

 

But now that she was here, Regina felt as if she were having second thoughts. Of course, she couldn't act upon them and just leave, Emma wouldn't appreciate that and they were already here, after all. She would just have to suffer through this quietly and hope she wouldn't be talked about. Perhaps the two would just try to catch up for the months that they have been apart.

 

"How long's it been since the last time we've seen each other?" Graham asked, gesturing the two to a rather ratty looking couch. Emma only smiled and plopped onto the surface as Regina was a bit more wary over the piece of furniture, inspecting it thoroughly before finding what appeared to be the cleanest spot next to the blonde, who had pulled her down almost immediately.

 

"It feels like it's been years." Emma answered, a humored tone to her voice at the brunette's reaction.

 

"Yeah, I know." He readily agreed. "Although, I'll be going back to Storybrooke to see everyone in a couple weeks. It'll feel weird, you know? It's been so long and it feels weird seeing you again."

 

"Oh, thanks."

 

"No, I don't' mean it like that. I just mean… I don't know. Everything seemed to have changed, you know? I'm a college man now and I have a good job- well, kinda shitty, but at least it's getting me this apartment. And you… well, you've got yourself a lady." He winked her eyes momentarily shifting to their intertwined hands. "And she's a rather quiet one. Never used to be in class, though."

 

"I don't know what's gotten into her… or out of, since she doesn't seem all there." Emma joked, giving a squeeze to Regina's hand, which had the teacher snap out of the little daze she had put herself into to idly pass the time.

 

"What?"

 

"You're not talking."

 

"Oh." The brunette bit her lip, chocolate eyes moving over to the man sitting next to Emma. "I had assumed you two would like to catch up, so I had decided to stay quiet. I do not wish to intrude."

 

"You aren't, ma- Ms. Mills-"

 

"Regina," the older woman corrected. "You can call me Regina. After all, you are not in school any longer and I am Emma's… girlfriend."

 

"Sorry… Regina." Graham smiled anyways, despite the small error. "But it'd be nice to know what's going on in your classes, you know? Got any interesting… uh… What about- no… Anything interesting happening? Anymore asshole students?"

 

"Two, yes." The brunette shrugged. "They had decided to rile up a fight with Emma- and had ultimately lost."

 

"Yeah, I gave Jefferson the old decker." Emma smirked, rather proud of herself, as she held up her fist. "But the motherfucker got me back the next day. What an ass. But Gina was nice and gave me drugs for my black eye."

 

"That was because you were hurting, dear. I do not like to see you in pain." Regina quirked a brow. "After all, you stood up to those assholes for me and I do quite appreciate that. No one had ever done it before nor had they cared enough."

 

"Well, I like you, a lot, you know? I don't want to see  _you_  hurt, even if it isn't physically." Emma turned her attention to the brunette, her loving, green eyes meeting with soft, chocolate ones.

 

"I love you, Emma." The smile on Regina's face reached her eyes, and beyond that if possible.

 

"I love you, too, Gina."

 

" _Okay_ , awkward." Graham coughed from beside the blonde and stared at the two of them, his brows quirked. "I did  _not_  need to see my former teacher act all lovey dovey, it's really weird."

 

"Excuse me, but she's  _mine_. She's not a teacher when she's with me. So, shove it, you butt." Emma nudged the man's arm.

 

"Yeah… but…"

 

"Well, if you two are going to bicker all night, I might as well get heading back to Storybrooke. I have tests to grade."

 

"You still haven't graded those?"

 

"I don't have all the time in the-"

 

"Can we not school talk, please?" Graham wore a smirk on his face and a devilish twinkle in his eye.

 

"Then why do you not discuss your… doings whilst being apart, hm? I'll just sit by and idly listen if you wish. I do not have to partake in your, should-be, private conversation." Regina shifted slightly, crossing one leg over the other, causing her skirt to hitch further up her thigh. She felt Emma's gaze on her stocking-ed legs and that had shot heat immediately to her core.

 

 _Well, shit_.

 

Regina couldn't help the smirk that began to play on her lips nor the blush that had started to dust her already rouged cheeks a pretty shade of pink. She squeezed her legs together to ease the tingling sensation between them and guided her attention to the large, box TV on a dark, wooden entertainment center to take her mind off it.

 

Then the two began to talk, reminiscing about this past year and the summers that they had spent together playing video games. Regina had tuned them out, becoming rather disinterested in how many kills they got for one game, or how many points they had in another, or whatever the hell they were talking about with building things from a game with mines in it.

 

Then they proceeded to step away from the video game subject to going out to the movie theater to catch the latest flick before having a gaming night, or something of that ilk. Or that they went to some restaurant and ate together, which the two of them started to joke about them having dates because they often times hit a movie afterwards, then spent most of the night playing video games.

 

That had something burning in Regina's gut and constricting her heart. They had dates? Or at least that's what she had caught from that. She hadn't noticed that they were obviously joking, seeing as to how Emma was clearly into girls and Graham saw her as nothing but a friend. But there was a radar in Regina's brain that got set off over that subject and she saw  _green_.

 

She couldn't fathom Emma being with someone else, especially a boy. She couldn't imagine her spending so much time with him. He probably knew her better than Regina did, and that really set something else off in the brunette. She really needed to spend more time with the blonde in order to get to know her more, even if some of the things that she had previously told her were things that she hadn't told anyone else. Regina wanted to make up for lost time and ensure that she knew everything that she needed to know about Emma and vice versa.

 

Then she heard her name being mentioned by Emma, which had caught her full attention. She was speaking of the first day of school and how she was absolutely terrified of going into Regina's classroom because of the rumors her friends had told her. But she was soon captivated by the brunette's beauty and all-around sexiness (why was she so goddamn blatant?) and definitely needed to stay. She couldn't help but to ogle her ass every time she turned around- and why Emma was explaining this in front of Regina to  _Graham_ , the teacher never knew. She took the blonde as a person who would conceal these feelings and keep them to herself, not go around flaunting them to others so freely.

 

Although, when she had started to speak of times further into the year and other bits of their relationship with each other throughout the course of the year, she had left quite a bit out. Regina was rather relieved that she hadn't expressed any of their private conversations nor any of the previous dates that they had (which really was only one) or meetings before they had even started to date.

 

Regina had ended up tuning them out once again, her eyes roving over the living area from the boredom she had found herself suffering from. They had started to talk about the months and days leading up to today, of course, most of it was vague and rather boring to Regina's ears. She didn't want to seem mean nor impolite, but she barely knew Graham and she had no interest in his life, and what Emma was telling him, she knew most of except for a few blurbs of her time spent with her other two friends.

 

Then, as if her prayers had been answered, Graham had spoken those words that she had been waiting for, for what seemed like hours. Of course, she hadn't exactly minded sitting here as Emma enjoyed a chat with her friend, but it was rather boring when they hadn't talked about anything that was interesting. She really was in no rush to return back home, for there was nothing exciting to do there, but she knew that Emma needed to be home, and with a quick glance at her watch, she found it to be around four.

 

"It's getting pretty late and I know how long it takes to get back."

 

"Yeah," Emma muttered forlornly. "Damn, I've missed you. It was nice talking to you again, though."

 

"You guys should come back and visit. Maybe we can do something more fun, because Regina looked as if she were about to fall asleep over there."

 

That comment had the brunette teacher blushing. So he had noticed that bored glaze in her eyes. She hadn't meant to let it show.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gina. I didn't mean to make you feel so bored…" Emma frowned and brought the older woman's hand up to her lips to press a tender kiss to the top. "And if you don't mind, we could come back again and go out to do something fun. There's a lot more here than there is in Storybrooke, I know for sure."

 

"I would like that." Regina nodded and stood just as Graham had. She offered him a polite smile and extended a hand, in which his took. "It was quite lovely seeing you again, Graham. I do hope you have a safe time here, yes? And if you do not mind, we may come back and visit you once again."

 

"That sounds good to me, actually. It gets rather boring around here when there's no one to hang out with." He smiled and shook her hand. "And it was nice seeing you again, Ms.- Regina. I hope to see you again."

 

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt that you will, dear." She chuckled and wrapped her arm around Emma's waist. That would be true, even if they weren't to come down again. If Emma and herself were to continue their relationship, there was no doubt that she'd be seeing more of Graham and her other friends. She knew that she could get used to them, but that would more than likely be a few years down the road- if the two of them would even still be together.

 

"Great. Hey, Em!" He turned to the blonde. "Let me know if you two plan on coming down again. I'll even offer myself up as a cover for you."

 

"I'll make sure." Emma grinned, wrapping her free arm around the man in a quick, tight hug before pulling away. "Thanks again, though, for covering for my ass this weekend."

 

"Hey, no problem. What are friends for?"

 

"I would like to thank you as well, Graham. I appreciate that you have done this for us, even if it were just for Emma. It means a lot to me."

 

"Really, it's no problem. You're welcome and I'd gladly do it again, like I said. You two seem so perfect for each other." Graham turned towards the two of them, making sure to look at each for a few seconds. "I mean, the way you look at each other is just magical in itself. I haven't seen Emma this happy in the years that I've known her, and by the way she speaks of you, you make her really happy and I'm glad of that. Just don't hurt her, you know? She's had a tough enough life."

 

"Graham…" Emma groaned.

 

"I won't, Graham. I promise." Regina gazed down to the blonde, a smile of pure admiration on her lips. "We've both been to hell and back. I think we're meant to fix each other."

 

"You're getting goopy again," he joked. "I'll be having to clean the shit out of the apartment if you continue any longer."

 

"Oh, don't worry. We're leaving." Emma rolled her eyes and tugged on Regina's hand as she headed towards the door, Graham following behind the two.

 

"Well, fine. I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks, alright? Open up some time for me, Emma, 'kay?"

 

"I will, Graham." The blonde giggled. "Don't worry."

 

"Good." The three of them stood there in a slightly awkward silence for a few moments before he had spoken again, reaching for the door. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

 

"Yeah… Goodbye, Graham. I'll see you soon." Emma smiled rather sadly at her friend and Regina gave a slight grin.

 

"Goodbye, dear. Take care."

 

"Yeah, you too. And have a safe trip back."

 

"Thanks." They both chimed.

 

After saying their goodbyes, the two of them left the apartment building and rushed towards the parked car, trying their best to avoid the bitter wind nearly blowing them off the sidewalk. The weather had changed drastically from when they had first arrived. It was rather calm out then and promised good temperatures for the rest of the day, but that had been a rather large fib. It felt as if it were below zero and the wind was rather unpleasant. Luckily the car wasn't far and they would have a warm ride for the trip home.

 

"I hate winter," Emma mumbled as she put her seat belt on and Regina started the car, automatically going for the heater buttons.

 

"I do, as well. It dislike the cold."

 

"Me too. And after walking to your house in that goddamn blizzard, I really hate the snow, too."

 

"You're an idiot." Regina muttered fondly. "But, for some reason, I tolerate it."

 

"I'm glad you tolerate me."

 

"Are you ready to return home, dear?" Regina inquired after a few moments of silence on the road.

 

"Not really, but I know I have to." Emma groaned. "And there's school tomorrow, too, which sucks major ass."

 

"Tell me about it, dear. I have to get up even earlier than yourself in order to get things completed in the mornings." Regina lamented, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "And it's a tedious job to grade tests, especially when they're written word."

 

"Oh, I bet that's a bitch." Emma nodded. "Hey, Gina?"

 

"Yes, dear?"

 

"Do you think I could help you with it sometime?"

 

"Well, not tonight. It is rather late and I'm quite sure that your mother is worried about where you are."

 

"No, I know. I just mean sometime. Anytime. I wouldn't mind, just as long as I get to hang out with you." The blonde shrugged and played with her hair.

 

"We'll see, Emma."

 

"Cool," she grinned. "What are you doing tomorrow after school?"

 

"Well, if you are wondering if I will be grading papers, I will be. Would you like to join me?"

 

"Oh, well I was just going to use you as a ride home after detention, but sure!"

 

Regina couldn't help but to shake her head, an amused smile on her lips. "I can do both if you wish. I'll kill two birds with one stone."

 

"Aren't we a little violent?"

 

"It's a saying, dear."

 

"I know, but… God, can't you just humor me?"

 

"No." She murmured wryly.

 

"Sometimes you're a pain in my ass, Gina."

 

"Yes, well you can be a thorn in my side, Emma dear."

 

"Oh, hah-hah…" Emma whined playfully and crossed her arms. "I'm not gonna talk to you for the rest of the way there."

 

"Oh, is that so?"

 

"Y-…" The blonde suddenly stopped before nodded her head.

 

"Really, Emma? How childish of you."

 

Her only response was a shrug.

 

If Emma was truly being serious about not speaking for the rest of the way back, it was going to be a long trip, what with four hours still to go since they hadn't reached the highway quite yet.

 

"Are you really going to do this?" Regina had asked after several minutes. They were finally on the road back home.

 

Emma nodded once again, not making a single peep.

 

 _Yes, this definitely is going to be a long trip_.


	15. Teacher's Pet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, holy shit. I'm a ho, I know. I lied. I hadn't expected to be bombarded with a bunch of stuff upon returning home, so I wasn't able to upload the chapter right away as planned. But now it's all hooked up and everything and I am so terribly sorry for giving you all false hope. :/ But I really hope that this makes up for it and I really hope that you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> I cannot cease to apologize enough. But, thank you all very much for reading and staying with me! I love you all and I enjoy your support. Have a good day and I hope you have happy reading times.

"You can't stay silent for three more hours, Emma. Come on." Regina sighed from the driver's seat, stealing a quick glance towards the blonde who was adamantly remaining quiet with crossed arms.

It had already been an hour into their trip and she hadn't uttered a single word. She knew what she was doing was clearly childish, but the annoyed looks from the brunette and the grunts of irritation that she had made were just too damned entertaining to pass up- especially for this long trip. And she wasn't about to break now. She  _would_  stay quiet for the remainder of three hours. There was absolutely  _nothing_  that would make her dare to speak.

"Emma…" Her voice was a defeated sigh, which earned promise and a victorious smile- that was until Regina used her last resort. "I love you."

Now  _that_ was harsh and completely unfair. Emma didn't want to leave the older woman hanging with those three words thickening the air. She just couldn't bring herself to keep quiet, because every second that she went without repeating the words back burdened her with a heavy guilt.

"I love you, too…" she whispered. Perhaps if she had done it quiet enough, Regina wouldn't hear her and wouldn't think that she had responded and broken her little quiet game. But, they were in a car after all and the radio had been turned off- no doubt that Regina was waiting for some sort of peep from the blonde.

"A-ha! She speaks!" The Benz jerked as the brunette woman had spoken, which ultimately caused Emma to have a mini heart attack when all she saw was the off-road ahead of her. Luckily Regina had straightened them out before they flew off the road, but holy shit, that had scared the piss right out of her.

"Well, I won't any longer if you drive us off the fucking road!" Emma couldn't help but to reprimand, her heart still trying to come down from her throat. "Fuck."

"I'm sorry…" Regina whispered, her eyes glued to the road. The smile that she had worn upon Emma's reply beforehand had now disappeared into a downturn of the lips.

When the blonde had gazed over to see how the brunette was doing after taking the recovery from their near off-road adventure, she felt her heart fall from its spot. Regina wore the most heartbreaking look and appeared to be thoroughly chastised by Emma's reaction. Shit. Did she really just make Regina feel that bad by making that comment? She wished she could take it back and shut her goddamn mouth. Really, she needed to get this conflict fixed.

"Hey, Gina…" Emma reached over, her hand was gentle on the older woman's thigh. "Don't listen to me. I'm just a fucking idiot, you know this by now, yeah? Sometimes I don't have a filter."

"I am fine, Emma."

Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette, but she hadn't taken a single glance towards the blonde. Nibbling on her lip, she gazed at the traffic around them, noticing there to be quite a few cars, but not enough to damper her new plan.

"Pull over," she quickly muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Pull over," the blonde repeated herself. Emerald eyes were back on the tanned and confused face of Regina's as the older woman reluctantly did what she had instructed.

"I don't know what inane reasoning you have-" But her words were cut off as Emma lunged forward and pressed her lips to her own, taking Regina by complete surprise- which had taken the woman a few heartbeats to register what was happening and a few more before she had responded.

When Emma had pulled away, she was met with puzzled chocolate orbs and red, parted lips.

"What was that for?"

"I wanted to make up for yelling at you. I'm sorry. I was just panicked and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. That's the last thing that I would ever want. And I feel like we've said this a lot, but I love you and it just… rips my heart out when you look like that." Emma explained, her voice was hesitant and the hand that still reside on the brunette's thigh was even more so as it lightly stroke the stocking covered skin. "And I really suck at trying to comfort people."

"Please do not fret, my love." Regina rest her hand on the blonde's, stopping its movement. The contact had the hairs on the back of Emma's neck stand on end as pleasant shocks fueled them from her arm.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Gina." She whispered. "I was terrified."

"I don't blame you, dear. I would be, too, if my life were on the line." The smile she wore was one that of understanding and her eyes were warm, melting into her cheeks as the corners of her mouth had upturned. "I forgive whatever unneeded apology that you are giving me just to sate your mind. We do need to get back on the road, especially if someone were to pull over or call another somebody because we are sitting on the side of the highway."

"Thanks. I'm glad you get me." The blonde offered her a sheepish smile and quickly wrapped her arms around the brunette, intending to pull back shortly after, but had found herself entranced by the older woman's sweet perfume and her comforting warmth.

"You'll have to let go, Emma." She heard Regina's deep voice rumble against her hair, arms constricting for one last time around her before releasing. "Come on."

"I don't want to. I like it down here."

"Oh, I know you do, dear." The teasing lilt to her voice sent shivers down Emma's spine. She bit her lip and kept from moving.

"I do, you see. So that means that you must let me stay down here, because I know you like it, too." That's when she smirked at the way Regina's cheeks had taken a lovely pink shade to them. "And maybe I can… do something for you?"

"That is…" Regina's voice trembled as she spoke, which had made it clearly evident that Emma had succeeded in flustering the brunette teacher. "That is inappropriate, dear, and how much that I would like for that to happen, it cannot. I need to concentrate whilst driving and you need to sit properly in your seat. I do not wish to get pulled over and delay our time home even further."

"Fine…" The blonde muttered, sitting up on her side of the bench seat once again, replacing the seat belt across her chest. "But you owe me cuddles when we get back."

"How about I take a rain check, dear?" The brunette pulled back onto the road, starting their journey home once again.

"You can't just-"

"I have to drop you off at your apartment. Hadn't you told your mother that we would be back rather early? It's already quite late now." Regina cut her off to elaborate.

Emma could only nod in agreement because she knew that it was true. She had told Mary Margaret that she would be back quite early in the day because she hadn't thought it would have taken them this long to leave town. She figured Regina would have an alarm of some sort to wake them up early so they would be able to dress and leave to visit Graham before they left- which Emma would have assumed would all be before noon. But, of course, they had woken much later than Emma had thought and they had busied themselves with each other after. And it hadn't helped that they were so far away from Graham's apartment with heavy traffic and no sense of direction.

"Speaking of which, you should contact her and tell her that you'll be arriving rather late. We still have about three hours left in the trip."

"Yeah, problem."

"Problem?"

Emma sucked her lower lip between her teeth and turned her attention to the scenery outside, her face resembling that of a cat who had gotten caught with their paw in the fish tank. "I sort of forgot my phone at home. I realized that when I went to text Mary Margaret yesterday before we got to the hotel."  
"Emma…" Regina spoke with an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Let me borrow your phone?"

"Just don't text her." The brunette sighed, using one hand to search for her purse on the floor between them. She soon found her mobile device and handed it to Emma.

"Why not?" The blonde quirked a brow, typing in her foster mother's cellphone number.

"Do you have a house phone?"

"Yeah?" Emma had now turned her full attention to the older woman.

"Does it have caller ID?"

"No. It's super old and we barely use it. Why?" she inquired again, her thumb hovering over the green call button.

"Mary Margaret has my number and I don't think it's a wise idea for you to call her from my cell phone to tell her that you'll be coming back from Boston in under three hours." Regina hastily explained, worried brown eyes on the blonde's hand that held the smartphone.

"Well, shit, why the hell do you have her number?"

"She had contacted me about… tutoring? Apparently I am tutoring you now. In Government."

"Oh, yeah…" Emma shrunk in her seat. "Well, I had to make up  _some_  excuse as to why I was gone after school for a couple days and I couldn't have Ruby or Belle cover for me, so I thought this was the safest plan."

"I wish you would have told me, dear. I nearly denied it."

"Thank god that you hadn't."

"You better be thanking your lucky stars." The brunette's lips quirked up. "You need to call your house phone… And get off that screen. You're going to make me have a panic attack because I don't know how to explain my reason for calling her-"

" _Shit…_ " Emma muttered.

"What? What shit? What shit, Emma? Don't tell me you-"

"I did…" The words were hollow coming out of the blonde's mouth, which had earned her a rather worried stare from Regina.

"You did not…"

"I-I did!" She wailed, putting the phone on speaker before throwing it towards Regina's direction.

"What the fuck am I going to say to her?  _Oh god, it's ringing_." Regina's voice had raised a few octaves as her cellphone rang, the sound deafening in the silence of the car.

"Maybe she won't pick up?" Emma had thrown the phone on the seat between them in her own panic, not trusting herself with the device any longer. She knew she should have exited the screen as soon as Regina had started to ask her questions. But, no, her goddamn thumb had to act on its own accord and press that call button. Did she just  _hate_  it when her fingers unconsciously move?

"But she'd still return the call…" Regina muttered numbly, and as soon as those words had left her lips, the ringing had ceased and a voice was heard.

" _Hello? Ms. Mills?"_

"Fuck…" Both Emma and Regina mumbled under their breaths, their hearts pounding wildly in their chests. Because, yeah, what the fuck was Regina going to say? How was she going to save her ass on this one?

" _Regina? Are you alright?"_

"Yes!" Her voice was nearly a squeak as it had escaped her lips. "I do apologize for disturbing you. I must have pressed the wrong number."

" _Oh! That's quite alright! I'm glad that you're alright. It happens all the time to me."_

Regina chuckled, and god, was that the most that Emma had ever seen her so tense and awkward.

"I'm glad that you understand. Again, I am sorry for disturbing you."

" _It's okay! I wasn't really doing anything. I'm just waiting for Emma to get back home. Did she tell you that she was going to see her friend in Boston?"_

"Oh, I do believe she had."

Emma blanched and shrunk further into her seat. Oh, god, now she was talking about her and going to Boston… and, shit, what was she going to tell Regina? Why the hell was she even making conversation with the brunette when clearly Regina had supposedly dialed the wrong number? But that was just like Mary Margaret. Emma loved her dearly as a mother, but boy, did she just get under her skin sometimes. Although, the ill thoughts of her foster mother had her feeling twice as guilty.

" _I'm a little worried, though. I mean, she went up there alone with him. It's not that I don't trust him, he's a good boy, but… I think they fancy each other. And she hadn't bothered to inform me of her arrival yesterday."_ There was a pause, but it wasn't long enough for Regina to come up with a response. " _I had called her only to realize she left her phone here, though. What a silly girl. I love her. And, oh! Am I sorry for rambling! I'm just so anxious for her arrival, I'm nothing but a bundle of nerves! You said you pressed the wrong number, so I'm sure you're meaning to do something."_

"I am, actually. And do not apologize. I understand your concern. I'm sure that Emma is doing quite fine. She's a brilliant girl, and I have confidence that she knows better than to disobey anything that you might have said."

" _I know. You're right. But it still worries me that she's up there all alone… well, perhaps not, but she's- An-and she hadn't bothered to call or text me."_

"She's a young girl in Boston, and without any parental supervision. I'm sure that it must have slipped her mind to ask her friend for his phone if she had realized hers was gone. Just give her your trust and I'm sure everything will be just fine." The brunette soothed.

" _You're right. I will. But I hope she'll be here soon._ "

"I'm sure she will be, Mary Margaret." Regina clipped, keeping her tone to the point.

" _Right! I'm sorry, I ought to let you go. But, since you're here… I want to ask you something._ "

"What is it?"

" _Will you be tutoring Emma tomorrow afternoon?_ "

"Only if that is alright with you, and Emma herself, of course."

" _Oh, it's fine! I just wanted to know if I should save her a plate for dinner or wait for her, since she still has her detention."_

"Of course."

" _I suppose I should let you go. I'm sure you have things to do. I will see you at conferences!"_

"Yes. I will see you then, dear. Do have a good night and I hope that your Emma will arrive safely home soon enough."

" _Thank you, Regina. You have a good night yourself!"_

"Thank you, and goodbye."

" _Buh-bye!"_

And then the line cut.

"Please do not make me go through that again." The brunette teacher took her phone with sweaty fingers and exited out of the call.

"I'm  _so_  sorry… I really am." Emma was quick to apologize, her fingers knitting into blonde curls. "I-I'll definitely make it up to you, I promise."

"You better, my dear." Regina husked, and when the blonde had lifted her gaze with surprise to the brunette's face, she saw a devilish twinkle in brown orbs.

"Tomorrow. I will. Trust me." Emma concluded, her confidence regaining in her words as she spoke them.

There was that smile again on her lips. "I do trust you, dear."

"Well, then, it's a plan. Locked in place."

"Locked in place, indeed." Regina echoed. "Why don't you call your house phone and inform your mother, alright? I assume that she is home, since she had said she was waiting for you."  
"Yeah. Let's just hope our phone didn't magically get caller ID or anything." The blonde mumbled, half to herself, as she retrieved the English teacher's cellphone and dialed in her home phone number. She was rather surprised that she had memorized the damn thing. They rarely had ever used it and she had so many other numbers in her lifetime, it was insane. But she had this one down, especially after the two hour lecture from Mary Margaret in case of an emergency of some sort.

"Let us hope not, because I do not think I can bear another conversation with your ever chipper mother. She's a nice woman, but she talks a little too much. No offense, dear." Regina kept one eye on the blonde, and she had noticed, for every time she had looked up, she saw the teacher's gaze on her- and what she was holding within it, more specifically.

"None taken, really. I know what you mean." Emma shrugged. It was true, really, and she knew that Regina had meant no harm in her words. Now, if it were someone else insulting Mary Margaret like that, and without a courteous apology, she would be wailing them to the ground. She really did love her foster parents and would defend them, if needed, and keep their honor set high.

"I probably shouldn't be saying such a thing, though. It is quite unprofessional, after all." The brunette mended quickly. "Don't get me wrong, I like her- to an extent."

Emma quickly finished typing in her home phone number and set the device on her lap, careful not to call it just yet. "I get it, Gina. It's alright. There are people in life that we meet and that we don't really get along well with. I sorta felt the same when I first met her, and sometimes I still do. She's a little too optimistic for her own good."

"As long as you won't hate me for saying such a thing."

"You're an exception, Gina."

"Well, I am certainly glad to hear that." Emma could literally  _hear_  the smile in Regina's voice as she had spoken. It squeezed her heart knowing that she could make the older woman smile the way she did.

"Now, I gotta call her…"

"I'll stay quiet, dear."

"Thanks." Emma grinned and quickly leaned forward to press a kiss to the brunette's olive cheek, then proceeded to call the number still displayed on the screen after straightening out in her seat.

…

It had taken three hours before their arrival back to Storybrooke, just as Emma had promised her foster mother when she had called her that time ago. When they had crossed the town line, reality had hit the blonde like an elbow to the face. Her weekend trip with Regina was nothing but that and upon their return, they were back to where they were. They were teacher and student and their relationship had to be, once again, hidden from everyone.

That thought had Emma's heart sinking in her chest. She wanted to go back to Boston just so she wouldn't have to hide her relationship- her feelings- her  _love_ \- of this woman from everyone. Here, people would judge- mainly because they knew who each was. Regina could ultimately lose her job if the secret had ever gotten out and Emma… Well, she would lose the only true  _joy_  that she had had if that were to happen. It was a lose-lose situation either way.

Of course, there was graduation day. The day that they  _could_  announce their relationship to everyone. Although, that still might not be the wisest of ideas for they would have been dating before she had departed from high school, and that would be proven if they were to announce it the same night. So, even after she had graduated, their relationship would still have to be kept under the table. Perhaps not from her two very best friends, but her mother and father could never know unless it were to be long down the road.

All in all, the two of them were ultimately fucked with their relationship. They would have to move in order to keep it stable and actually go into public without risk of job-losing or a ruined reputation. Emma wouldn't want that for Regina. The woman already had a hard enough life and doing so would only make it much worse.  
They would have to sit down at some point and discuss this, for that future was not too far ahead. Emma had quite fallen in love with the bits of Boston she had seen and wouldn't mind proceeding with her move up there for college. But that had meant leaving Regina behind unless the brunette had decided to follow her up. Of course, they would only be four hours apart, which would be a hell of a lot better than any other further distances. This meant that Emma, or Regina even, could visit on weekends and any major breaks. But the thought of that still sent Emma's heart sinking. She didn't want to live that far away from the brunette teacher. She wanted to stay close to her and see her every day. But if she were to do that, it would be a four or five hour commute to her classes, and that didn't sound appealing nor possible.

The conflicted thoughts just terrified the blonde to no extent. She really didn't want to think about these things, but she knew that they needed to be addressed at some point and they needed to be cleared up. Emma just didn't want to think about this alone. She couldn't. She needed Regina's opinion and thoughts upon the subject, and she needed them soon since the time was coming rather close.

"Emma, dear, we're here." The older woman's husky voice ripped Emma from her thoughts. She whipped her head up to take a glance outside to see that they were, in fact, outside her apartment. It was rather dark out tonight. The streetlamp wasn't working again, which was rather fortunate for them since she could see Mary Margaret's silhouette in the loft window.

"Yeah…" Emma muttered solemnly. "I should probably get inside before she comes out here, and knowing Mary Margaret, she probably will."

"I suppose you must." The brunette's voice had taken a similar tone and there was a flash of something cross over her features before quickly disappearing when she offered a tight smile. "I shall see you tomorrow?"

"Yup! Same time, same place." Emma let a grin rip across her face as she unbuckled the seatbelt and leaned over to give Regina a tight hug. She nearly melted against the teacher's body when she felt those warm arms embrace her in return. "And I'll bring you something special for lunch- to make up for that little talk with my mother."

"I cannot wait to see what it is, dear." The brunette smirked, pulling away from the blonde teenager. "Now, you must hurry. She's no longer standing by the window."

"Oh, shit!" Emma quickly gathered her backpack and opened the passenger's door in a haste to get out. "Better not wait long enough for her to say hello to 'Graham.'"

"Indeed," she chuckled. "So I shall see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Emma."

"I will, thank you. You, too, you hear?" The blonde twisted her body to give Regina one last smile before sliding out of the vehicle. Her hand was on the door, ready to slam it shut, when she heard a voice from inside.

"And, Emma?"

"Yeah?" She ducked her head down to peek inside the car.

"I love you."

And that's when every fear and burdensome thought that she had melt away to replace with the events of the past weekend and the entire reality of it. Those three words have confirmed the doings of this weekend and every word, gesture, and moment of it, and that it had naught been a dream. A dream that Emma had usually found herself waking up from almost every morning. Did she certainly hope that she wouldn't be waking up from this dream, because she wouldn't want to let go of what she and Regina had created for themselves.

"I love you, too," she whispered breathlessly, the largest smile on her face. She swore she could hear Regina purr at the words.

"Good. Think of me tonight, will you? Think of our… time together, because I know I will."

"Oh, I probably won't be able to sleep I'll be thinking of it too much." Emma's cheeks burned. "Think of me, and think of that thing I slipped into your purse on our way back. I hope you like it."

"What?"

"Wait until you get home." The blonde giggled as the brunette had started to pick her bag up. "I want you to see it when I'm not here and you can thank me tomorrow during lunch. But for now, I gotta go because I'm scared my foster mother'll be down here."

"Yes. You are correct. Have a good night, darling."

"For the twentieth time…" she mumbled, but forced a smile on her lips when Regina gave her a quirked brow. " _You_  have a good night. AndI'mclosingthisdoorbeforeyoucansayanythingelsetoprolongmystayingouthere." Emma quickly shut the door and whipped around to head towards her apartment, only to run into her foster mother who had just opened the outside door as Regina pulled off.

"Is Graham not going to stay?"

"He wants to get back before midnight. He has a class tomorrow." Emma shrugged nonchalantly. Now,  _that_ , she had planned in case Mary Margaret were to ask about her friend.

"Oh. That's a shame. I wished he would have stuck around long enough so I could say hi to him." Mary Margaret wore a slight pout, but it had quickly disappeared as the two had begun to walk inside. "So, how was your trip? You should tell me all about it!"

Emma internally groaned as she followed her mother up the stairs and into their apartment where an awaiting David stood in the kitchen.

"Emma! It's good to see you back!" He greeted with a kind smile. "We've missed you!"

"I've missed you both, too-"

"Emma was just going to tell us about her trip!" Mary Margaret interrupted, guiding her blonde daughter over to the living room. David had pushed himself away from the counter to follow, both wearing large, anxious smiles.

"Oh, was she now?" Emma's foster father grinned, perching on the couch next to his wife. The blonde, herself, took the chair next to it.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So tell us, what did you do?" Mary Margaret chirped happily.

Emma ran her fingers through her hair, trying to hold back any of the guilt that she had been feeling since she had first lied to her parents about Boston. At least she could replace 'Regina' with 'Graham' when she spoke of what they had done. The only thing she really needed to leave out was the hotel bit and going to visit the actual Graham. But then, by doing so, it appeared that her mini vacation was rather boring since all Regina and her had actually done was go to see a show and eat dinner.

 _And make love in their hotel room_.

Yeah, she would promptly avoid telling her parents of that. Especially if they thought it were Graham. Would they have a cow? Hell, they'd probably have a whole herd of cows and then some. Maybe they'd even shit enough bricks to build a barn.

"Did you buy a new perfume?" David had leaned forward with a curious gaze, his nostrils flaring.

"David! I asked her a question first." His wife gave a slight whine, but she had also bent towards the blonde to give her a whiff. Her brows furrowed. "But,  _did_  you buy new perfume?"

 _No. No I didn't. That's Regina's perfume that you're smelling that had somehow infused itself into my clothing after spending four hours in the car with her_.

"Yes and no. Graham gave it to me as a birthday gift."

"Well, that certainly was nice of him." Mary Margaret grinned, elbow bumping her husband. "Wasn't it, David?"

"Yeah…" he mumbled.

"Now, I hope you two didn't do anything you weren't supposed to…"

"Mom!" The blonde groaned and wiped her face with her hands. Of course she would ask that, and at least Emma could answer her honestly, because the question orbited around Graham. No, she did not sleep with him, and no, they were still not dating.

"What? It's a serious question to ask."

"No. Graham and I are literally just friends. There's nothing going on between us. I just really wish you would stop asking. It's starting to even freak him out and he has a girlfriend, I think. Or a boyfriend. Someone that isn't me!" Emma lay limp in her chair. She had literally lost count on how many times that Mary Margaret alone had questioned her about Graham. David had only asked once and merely nodded when she said nothing was going on between them, and now he always just sits there with a mental eye roll every time his wife asks. The blonde just hoped that she would be able to convince Mary Margaret enough to finally drop the subject. Perhaps saying that Graham had a significant other would seal the door. She heard him, at one point, mention that he had met someone, so she wasn't exactly lying to them. And she hadn't caught the name of said person, either. He had been more interested in her relationship with Regina.

"You don't know?" Mary Margaret quirked a suspicious brow.

"No. He said something about it, but we were talking about other stuff after that and I forgot. Now can we just drop it? There's nothing between us."

"Well, I thought… since you would be moving in with him…"

"I thought the only reason you let me go on this trip was because we were just friends?" Emma dropped her hands onto her lap, avoiding the meticulous stare given to her by David when he next spoke.

"We did. At least, I had. Your mother had been fretting all weekend over the fact. She had even told your teacher she was worried about you two." He husked, bringing a hand up to stroke his wife's back when she had begun to deny what he had just said.

"What do you mean? Why would she talk to one of my teachers about it?"

"Your English teacher, Ms. Mills, she called here- by accident- and I may have said some things. It was earlier today, really, it was before you had called. Strange, is it?"

"Yeah…" The blonde bit her lip as memories of that conversation had relived in her head. She remembered nearly every word of it and the stiff, panicked way that Regina had responded to the babbling Mary Margaret on the other line. But she couldn't let her mother know that she had listened to the entire conversation and knew what had been said.

"What did you-… What did you tell her?" The blonde asked quietly. She was curious as to what her foster mother would come up with if she weren't to tell the entire truth of the conversation.

"That I was just worried about you being in Boston all by yourself. She seemed to be quick to defend your actions, though. But I assume she's a mother, also, and maybe more experienced. She's older than me, after all." The pixie-haired woman quickly elaborated.

And her words had struck Emma, causing her heart to stammer in her chest. That was true. Reality had, once again, bitch slapped her in the face. Her teacher, her  _girlfriend_ , was older than her foster mother and by almost ten years. Mary Margaret and David were twenty-eight and thirty, respectively, and that had brought a whole new terror to the blonde. What would they even say if they had ever found out about their relationship? Regina was nearing forty while Emma would be just starting her life.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret's hand found itself on Emma's knee and the blonde jumped slightly, her emerald orbs immediately darting to her brunette mother. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. I was just thinking." Emma stuttered, rapidly trying to erase all burdening thoughts so she could think more clearly. She needn't have these age and relationship conflicts floating around in her head and accidently spill one of her many worries to her unsuspecting mother. That would be one hell of a shitstorm.

"Did you hear what I said?" She asked, tilting her head with brows creased in concern.

"I did. Yeah. And she doesn't have any kids, but she's like a big mom when people are actually nice to her." Emma's voice was nothing but a sigh.

Saying that had brought her back to one of her previous conversations with Regina. The teacher had said something about wanting children, but had wanted to find the right woman beforehand. Emma was assuming she had acted somewhat of a mother for that reason, and she had gone so many years yearning to be one but never able to achieve her goal. She hoped that Regina would be able to become a mother someday, and if they were still together when that so happened to occur, she wouldn't mind so much. It would be a sweet thing to raise a child with the woman that she loved- and hopefully would still love to no extent whatsoever in the future.  _That_  future sounded rather terrifying as well since she was naught but a child herself and whatever reality that might be would take quite a while to get to. The two of them still needed to sit down and discuss their plans for the future.

How she was getting her mind off track once again, Emma never knew. One moment she was telling Mary Margaret how mother-like Regina was even though she wasn't one herself, to thinking about raising their own kid together! Her mind was on the highway to insanity just about now, hitting every goddamn inane obstacle that it could on the way.

"Oh. I thought she would be married by now or something. But I guess that I believe everyone should be married by my age since I am, myself." The small brunette shrugged and offered Emma a rather sheepish smile. "I hope she finds a nice man, if she hadn't already. She's a really nice woman. I just hope, as I've heard you tell me, that her reputation with the students in the school won't ruin her image."

"She's attractive. She won't have any problems." Emma found herself saying, but immediately wanting to slap herself afterwards. Did she really just say that?

But, luckily, Mary Margaret had thought nothing of it and readily agreed. "She is. Any man would be lucky to have her."

_Yeah, but she wouldn't want any man._

"I'm sure." Emma muttered, hoping that Mary Margaret would soon drop the subject. She really didn't like lying nor pretending anything to her foster mother, and if they continued on about how Regina would be suitable with  _any_  bachelor in town, well, she might as well shoot herself.

"Anyways!" The pixie-haired woman suddenly said, jolting David upright in his spot. "How was your trip? What did you guys do?"

"I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of my trip." Emma smiled tentatively. "We went to the Paramount to watch a show and ate at the restaurant next to it. But that had its own entertainment."

"How so?" David queried before his wife could ask.

"There was a problem with two tables there. Two separate parties, I mean." The blonde began. Since she honestly hadn't anything else to tell them that she wanted them to know, she might as well satisfy them with hers and Regina's little problem at Salvatore's with the couple. Also, that would be a great way to know how her parents would react to same-sex couples since she, herself, was right up that alley.

"What happened?" That was Mary Margaret this time.

"Well, there were these gay women just minding their own business and eating, you know, like everyone else. But there was this couple next to them, I think in their middle-ages. A man and a woman. I'm not exactly sure what the women were saying, but the man made a remark and he just wouldn't stop insulting their way of life. The chicks were actually handling it calmly for the most part. Then the manager came over." Emma told the story, leaving it rather vague so she wouldn't have any difficult questions to answer from the two.

"Oh, my!" The brunette gasped, David frowning in response. "What did the manager say?"

"Well, the middle-aged couple said that there was a problem and it was the two women and their lifestyle and that they should be kicked out of the restaurant for disrupting their meal. The manager, I think, asked the women what was wrong and they just told it how it went."

"Did those assholes get thrown out?" David's gruff voice finally spoke beside Mary Margaret.

"Yeah! They were really nice to the women and I heard that they got their meals for free." Emma concluded, a smile on her face. David seemed to be satisfied with that, but his wife looked rather indifferent. This, of course, had Emma worried. What did she really think about all this? And what would she do if she knew that it were Emma and Regina that suffered this problem, not just a fictional couple that she had witnessed from afar?

"Well, that's very nice of them, indeed. I'm glad that they put those rude people in their place." Mary Margaret finally spoke and Emma could have wept. "I'm glad that there are still decent human beings on this earth."

"Me too. I probably would have kicked someone's ass if they would have kicked those women out. I mean, it's wrong to judge people for liking a certain gender, right?" Emma shrugged, leaning back in her seat with her backpack perched rather uncomfortably on her lap.

"You're correct, sweetheart." The pixie-haired brunette agreed, giving her daughter a look of concern. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm just tired and cramped up from sitting in the car for more than four hours." The blonde shrugged.

"Why don't you go upstairs and rest, okay?" David suggested. "You have school tomorrow and we don't want you to be too exhausted."

"Yeah, because that's a shame." Emma muttered underneath her breath, preparing herself to get up. Both her parents stood as well, each giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, just as her phone buzzed for an incoming message. Emma's emerald orbs widened for a moment, wondering how the hell they could hear it from all the way upstairs. That was, until, she had found the small device sitting on the coffee table. Her foster parents had ignored it, as did she. She'd just check the damned thing when she got upstairs.

"Listen to your father, honey. You look tired." Mary Margaret gave her a soft smile before kissing her on the forehead once again. Her phone buzzed. Twice. "Have a good night's sleep and we'll see you tomorrow, okay? And don't let that phone keep you up all hours of the night…"

"It won't, mom."

"Alright… Um, would you like for me to pick you up after your tutoring session? I heard that it is going to be rather chilly tomorrow and the wind will be picking up."

"Uh, I can walk home, or else Ms. Mills can give me a ride if it's too cold. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure, dear."

"I am. Don't worry." The blonde shrugged and, once again, her phone went off.

"You should answer that before it-" And another buzz had cut David's sentence off, ending with an irritated grunt from her father.

"Yeah…" The blonde mumbled, picking her phone up off the table. She wondered who the hell could be texting her so urgently like that. Maybe Ruby or Belle caught wind of her arrival back in town and had decided to pester her about the trip.

Shrugging those thoughts away, she quickly unlocked the screen and clicked on her messages to see that they were from several smiley faces.

Regina.

What the hell was she messaging her like this for?

_What the hell is this, Emma?_

_Emma?_

_EMMMMAAAAA! BAAAAAABBBBYYYY_

_I do apologize for that._

_Sweetheart? Am I just being an idiot? Do you not have your phone? I am going to call you._

Then her phone buzzed, and wouldn't stop, as the incoming call screen popped up with the smiley faces as the title and a crown as the picture.

Now she was calling. Shit.

Emma quickly answered, grunting into the phone.

"Yeah?"

" _What the fuck is this, Emma?"_  Regina's voice frantically inquired, and quite loudly as well.

"What is what?"

" _This… that you gave me."_

Oh. Shit. Regina found the gift that she had left for her in the purse. And with the brunette teacher's response towards it, that had made Emma immediately regret ever sticking the damned thing in there.

"I can't talk about it right now." Emma quietly muttered, turning away from her foster parents who had glued their eyes expectantly on her. "I'll… I'll explain at lunch tomorrow."

" _Fine. But… I've got another present for you, then."_ Regina's voice was soft, tentative even, as she spoke those words. Whatever the hell she had planned now had Emma's stomach doing flips.

"You do?"

" _Yes. You'll see tomorrow afternoon when I take you home with me."_

"I can't wait." Emma tried to hide her smirk.

" _Until then, since I hear that you're in a sort of predicament at the moment, I shall see you tomorrow, love. I love you."_

"I… I love you, too." She whispered quickly, trying not to let her foster parents hear. But, of course, she was quite sure that they had. Emma could always lie and say it was Ruby or Belle calling her.

" _I'm glad. Have a goodnight, alright?"_

"You too. Bye…"

" _Goodbye, darling_." And the line cut off.

"Who was that?" Mary Margaret quirked a brow, taking a step towards her rather flustered daughter.

"It was Belle. She was calling to see how I was. She must have seen us pull into town or something."

"Oh. I hope that she's doing well."

"Yeah."

Satisfied, her mother nodded and gave Emma a hug once more. "Why don't you run off to bed, alright? You need your rest. We can talk more tomorrow after you return home."

"Alright." Emma mumbled agreeably as she slowly inched her way towards the stairs. "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, honey."

It wasn't long before Emma was up the stairs and stripped to her undergarments and hidden underneath the sheets of her bed. She wasn't exactly as tired as she had claimed to be, but she could do with the extra sleep. And who only knows what Regina had in store for her tomorrow. Another present, she had said. But what if it wasn't exactly something  _good_. After all, Emma had given Regina  _that_.

But tomorrow could only give Emma the answers and she needed to fall asleep and rid of these constant wonders, or else she would never get to sleep. So she lay back, a pillow tucked safely in her arms, and tried to relax with a mind cleansed of thought.

* * *

 

For the life of her, she could just  _not_  take her eyes off that woman. The way she glided elegantly across the room in her black pumps to the way her hips swayed from side to side as she moved down the aisle, her perfect raven hair bouncing with each step. Emma took every opportunity that she had to keep her eyes glued to the English teacher, not wasting a single second.

All she could think about while watching the brunette was that night in Boston. And by thinking about that night, she could imagine Regina wearing nothing but what she was born in and the noises that she had made when Emma touched her in the right places. Just so much as thinking about that made the blonde hot and bothered, and she could tell that she was having the same effect on the brunette herself.

Emma hadn't been quite sure at first, merely passing off the rosy cheeks or the awkward way she had tucked a piece of hair behind her ear for something else, but then she had  _stuttered_. And Regina Mills  _never_  stuttered during class.

Regina had started in the front of the classroom, her body leaning against the podium to relieve the pressure on her feet from the heels. There was a PowerPoint presentation displayed on the Smartboard as she read from it the notes they were to be taking for the chapter.

"I do recommend that you take these notes and wisely. You never know what will be on the test, and it's…" Then she had trailed off, her jaw slack as chocolate orbs met with Emma's emerald ones. Her entire face had instantly turned a lovely shade of pink, and even more so as she had tried to complete her thought, and coherently at that. "It's… uh… it's very important to know this information when you do an assignment. It's the key to success, please keep that in mind."

The students had definitely noticed the blip in her speech, and they had even more so expressed their thoughts to one another. Of course, it was 'quietly' and in their tone of 'whisper' to make sure that the teacher hadn't heard. Emma amusingly caught parts of the conversational theories going on around her, but more or less chose to ignore most comments. But, soon, the collective whispering had turned into a soft buzz about the classroom that had the brunette teacher attempting to speak over the ever growing conversation.

" _Silence!_ " But that hadn't seemed to phase them, or at least they just hadn't heard Ms. Mills' voice over their own. Emma kept her eyes on Regina as she walked towards her desk, a hand pressed against her forehead. That had the blonde frowning. Did she have a headache? She always seemed to have one by lunchtime. She suspected it to be due to the students' constant talking. Emma knew that she always gained one by the end of the day. They were relentless.

"Hey, are you gonna be alright?" Emma murmured to the brunette who had popped the lid off her pill bottle now and threw back a couple capsules.

"I have a migraine." Regina replied, leaning against her desk as she faced Emma. "I believe I just have one constant migraine that just never goes away and that worsens each class period."

"Damn…"

"Damn is correct and it's only getting worse." She whispered, her eyes clouding with moisture. "I just wish that they would  _shut the fuck up!_ " Regina's words were much louder this time, extending to the entire classroom. Her distressed voice had everyone at a standstill and Regina with wide eyes for the salty language that she had let slip.

Emma had a strong urge to take the older woman into her arms just then. She looked as if she were about to burst into tears at any given moment. But she knew that she couldn't until it was lunchtime. Hopefully, everyone would opt to remain quiet for now on. They had pushed Ms. Mills to her absolute limit and Emma knew how terrible migraines could get, and how irritable they could make someone if they weren't able to rest.

"Thank you," she muttered, retaking her place back at the front of the room. "I would appreciate it if you would so kindly keep the noise level down. We do not have much time until the end of the semester and we need to finish the last chapters before the times arrives. These items  _will_  be on the finals."

When silence was met in reply, she gave a slight nod.

"Is everyone finished with this slide?"

No one had protested when she tapped the bored for the next slide of notes to show up. The remainder of the class had progressively gotten better and had seemed to pass by quite quickly, which had Emma thanking whatever higher deity.

As soon as the last student had left the room and the door had clicked shut, Emma popped out of her seat and gave Regina- who had been standing by her desk now- a tight squeeze.

"I've been waiting to do that all period." She muttered, a sheepish smile on her face. "It looked like you really needed one, babe."

"I did, thank you, darling." Regina's visage melted into something sweet as she returned the hug with a snug grip. "Can I have a kiss to make me feel better?"

"Of course." Emma purred, pulling slightly back to give the brunette woman a smile. Regina had the same look on her face and appeared to be much more at ease than she had been the hour prior, but there was still a spark of something in her eyes that indicated that the migraine still wasn't gone.

"Thank you," she whispered, her lips ghosting slightly over Emma's own before fully pressing against them in a slow, tender kiss. The blonde had eagerly responded, her eyes slipping shut as she let the tingles course through her body and take over every sense, a soft moan escaping her lips.

As they breathlessly pulled away, tongues licking lips, Emma couldn't help the heat burning her cheeks, painting them a rosy pink. "You're welcome."

Regina chuckled richly, pulling the blonde tighter against her body in another embrace. They stay like that for a few moments, the brunette humming a soft, sweet tune into Emma's ear before finally whispering.

"I really, truly love you, Emma, and I hope that my feelings towards you won't scare you away. I do understand if they do and you do not-"

Emma had now quirked a brow at the brunette's inane rambling, a slow smirk creeping on her face. She was still voicing her insecurities. Of course, Emma could understand that. They hadn't exactly been dating for long and they just recently expressed their feelings for one another. But the blonde was true to her word when she said that she wouldn't leave Regina in the dust like that. Sure, the feelings towards her had scared the teenager to death, but her own feelings towards Regina had her even more so.

Though, she didn't want to give into her fears. She had always done that in the past and she had always lost out on opportunities that could have ultimately made her life much better. But this time she knew, she  _knew_ , exactly what she would be missing out on and this something was one of the most important things that another could have in their lives. It was love and love was quite rare to find, especially when it felt like it was meant to be. It felt so  _right_.

Regina was that something, that  _someone_ , that she couldn't let slip through her fingers. And she was a somebody that had feelings just like she, and ones that would get absolutely destroyed if she were to chicken out like she always had. She had to keep strong for the both of them and hope that it would work. So far it was. And she knew that by the future scenarios that she was mapping out in her head. Even her other fears had never had any sense of future within them. She normally bailed before thinking about how they might affect her future.

So she was going to take her fears and make them her bitch. She didn't want them to take over and taint her mind like they seemed to be doing to Regina. Emma knew that there would be quite a bit of work to be done in the future to put the two of them at ease, but for now, they must take things one step at a time.  
And so Emma had started by silencing Regina with a quick peck on the lips.

"Regina," she whispered calmly, finding the older woman's hand to lace their fingers together. "I won't walk away from this, Gina. Please, trust me on this. I  _am_  scared shitless of your feelings towards me and of my own towards you. I'm quite sure we feel mutually towards each other, because I… I can't even describe in words how you make me feel. I really can't and that terrifies me. There's always a way… there's always a  _word_  to describe something, but I just cannot find it. When I think of one, it is not suitable enough…" The blonde tried to keep herself from spewing more vocal diarrhea and immediately cut herself off to continue on. "Anyways… I'm scared and I'm quite sure that you are. But we shouldn't really question our feelings right now. We should worry about our demons, or the fears that haunt our thoughts. We must drag them into the light and make them our goddamn bitch."  
"I know, dear… I just have too many worries and fears going through my mind right now and I am utterly stressed out. It is no wonder that I have this terrible migraine. I just cannot keep my mind off anything, and most of everything that pops into my brain is you." Regina pulled away from the blonde to sink into her rolling chair, although tried her best to keep their hands together.

"Then I'll help you relax in any way that I can. How about a neck massage or something?" Emma suggested, her free hand's fingers skittering lightly across Regina's exposed upper back before disappearing underneath raven locks to continue up the nape of her neck. "And perhaps a cold, damp paper towel will help ease the pain. I can turn the lights off in here on my way back in."

"Emma, you don't-"

"Yes I do. I love you and it is my job to take care of you, is it not? You have done the same for me, although in a different way. Just let me do this, okay? You still have two periods left and your head will only get worse." The blonde shook her hand from Regina's to quickly guide her feet towards the door before the brunette woman could protest. "I'll be back, then we can eat."

And with that, Emma had scurried out of the room as fast as she could to avoid any protesting arguments from Regina. She quickly made do with a paper towel from the women's bathroom and dampened it underneath cool water. That should work for now and help ease some of Regina's migraine, or so she hoped. Cold and dark always helped her.

When she returned to the room, Emma had flicked the lights off, which had earned a slight gasp from somewhere across the room. The blonde nearly chuckled to herself as she made her way towards the teacher's desk, weaving through the smaller desks until she had reached Regina once again.

"Hey, baby. I tried to hurry…" Emma offered her a small lilt of the lips. "Why don't you put this on your forehead, or all of your face if you need to, and I'll get the special lunch I promised."

"Well, I am certainly anxious to see what you have to offer." Regina mumbled after slapping the soggy paper towel on her forehead in a bunch.

"I hope you'll like it. I made it all by myself this time. It's not a day old from the diner."  
The blonde made haste with grabbing her backpack and bringing it over to Regina's desk, setting it on top of a few papers. The brunette watched her with curious eyes as Emma unzipped the bag and brought out a container with two plastic wrapped sandwiches, two small bags of potato chips, and a package of snack cakes for a makeshift dessert. She set the container, opened, on Regina's lap before pulling out two bottles of apple juice and handing one to the brunette who seemed to have struggle enough trying to hold a sandwich and keep the container from falling.

"Well, this certainly looks delicious, dear." She commented, her voice a stressed grunt after finally putting the items on her desk. "What kind of sandwiches did you make?"

"Take a bite and find out."

"As long as it isn't fish, I am perfectly fine." Regina muttered, concentrating on trying to remove the sandwich from the copious amount of plastic wrap that Emma had put on it. Finally, after a few grunts and a curse or two later, the brunette tossed the balled up plastic wrap across the room and took a bite of the sandwich itself.

"Peanut butter and jelly?" She blinked, licking jelly from her lips. "What…"

"But I made it. All by myself. It's special, isn't it?" Emma smiled innocently, bits of the sandwich's contents smeared across her lips.

"Of course it is, dear." Regina's visage immediately melted upon sight of Emma's smile. "You've got yourself all messy, darling."

"I'm a messy eater. Sorry." Emma chuckled softly, taking another bite of her sandwich. "Maybe you can clean me up?"

"Oh, I most definitely wouldn't mind, my sweet." Regina husked, daintily nibbling on her bread.

"Alright!" That was when the blonde stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth and made an attempt to chew the large ball of bread and gooey peanut butter.

It had made Regina utterly speechless, and by speechless, she was completely immobile. Her jaw was slack and her brown eyes were wide as they followed every movement that the blonde had made thereafter. And Emma just  _laughed_.

"I'm also quite disgusting. I hope it's not a turn off."

"Holy… Holy  _shit_ , Emma." Regina managed to squeak, one hand dropping onto her lap as the other still froze in air. "Th-that was  _half a goddamn sandwich_."

"I don't do it often, but I wanted you to lick me." Emma tightly crossed her arms over her chest, emerald eyes dropping to the ground.

"Emma…" Regina brought her hand over to Emma's cheek, fingertips gracing the pale flesh. "I will lick you regardless. But I do not want you to choke on your food to quicken things up. If you wanted me… You could have just said, alright? You do know that I will do  _anything_  for you at  _any time_  you wish."

"You would?"

"Of course, honey." The brunette flashed that perfect smile of hers, melting Emma's heart like an ice cube in the middle of the desert. Then she was tilting her head up, her little pink tongue slipping from between her plump, red lips to slide across the blonde's pale, rose ones. Emma shuddered as pleasant tingles shot straight to her core, heat pooling in her lower belly at the thought of where else exactly that tongue had been.

"You taste yummy with that peanut butter and apple jam on your lips, dear. Or should we say that the sandwich tastes yummier with  _you_  mixed in it." Regina purred against the blonde's lips. "I can think of a place where it would taste even more delicious."

Emma's breath hitched at the thought of where Regina was exactly insinuating. The way her voice had dropped a couple of octaves had the blonde's skin crawling and had caused funny things to happen to her insides. Oh, god, her heart felt as if it were going to explode the way that it had sped up like that.

And when Regina had found her lips with her own, she thought her  _head_  was going to explode. It felt so wonderful, and the way that their lips seemed to mold so perfectly together was something of its own. She felt the brunette's body rise from her spot in the chair and it press tightly against Emma's lower half, pinning her to the desk behind them. Olive toned fingers toned curled into blonde tendrils, using her grip to tilt Emma's head to the side, deepening the kiss. Emma couldn't stop the moan that emanated in her throat, feeling something reverberate against her lips- in which she had soon found out was Regina's own noises.

The two had ended up pulling away, due to lack of oxygen. Each of their breaths were ragged, and their eyes locked in on each other's with dilated pupils and flushed cheeks.

"Did you get all the peanut butter off?" Emma murmured, tilting her head ever so slightly.

"I do believe- oh, wait!" Regina dove forward and quickly drug her tongue across Emma's chin and cheek, the corners of her own mouth tilting upwards into a rather devious smirk. "Now I did."

A blush crept up the blonde's neck from the older woman's action, causing her to fidget in her spot and look anywhere but at the brunette in front of her.

"That's good."

"Indeed. I might have to swing by the store after school today to pick up some peanut butter." The brunette retook her seat and bit into her sandwich once again, although, now, it had been crushed in her hand and jam oozed between her fingers. Emma had noticed, but Regina seemed to not, or she hadn't cared enough to take any actions.

"Uh, you sort of got some…"

"What, darling?"

"You've got some jam on your fingers."

"Oh, I know." Regina smirked, finishing off her sandwich with a few swift bites.

"You're… I know what you're insinuating." Emma narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as if it were to be effective, although it had only made her look like an angry toddler.

"I am sorry that I had ever insinuated anything, then, dear." The brunette let her brows fly up for a moment before turning to crack open the bottle of apple juice.

"Hey… Hey! Wait." Emma squawked and made a grab for the teacher's sticky hand, bringing it soon up to her mouth to press a kiss to the back of it. "You taste like apples all over the damn place."  
"Well, I do believe that is obvious since I have apple jam all over my fingers."

"Okay, smart ass." The blonde rolled her eyes playfully. "I meant  _before_  you had it on you. I think your apples are turning you into an apple."

"Well, that certainly is interesting, isn't it?" Regina watched as Emma lave her tongue across the sun kissed skin, cleaning up spots of the jam there. Then she stopped by her index finger and licked between it and her thumb before taking the digit into her mouth to give it a good clean.

Emma could feel the brunette's heated gaze on her and the way that she shifted ever so slightly, attempting to press her thighs together. And the way that she had moaned when the blonde had shifted to her middle finger sent shivers down her spine and that aching throb between her own legs.

"They still smell faintly of you, don't they, dear?" Regina whispered, her eyes following every movement that Emma had made, her lower lip getting sucked into her mouth every so often and that tongue coming out to wet them beforehand.

Although, her words had made Emma pause her little cleanup and pull Regina's hand slightly away from her mouth. "What?"

"And I just  _could not_  help but to take every chance that I got to remind myself of what we did."

"You're naughty." The sly look on the blonde's face could not be hidden. All Emma could picture at that moment was Regina in class and the way she seemed to keep scratching her nose or lean against the podium with her hands by her face. That woman must have been taunting her then, or at least took some joy in watching Emma in the back of class with her scent. Whatever it may be, that woman was quite wicked and undeniably sexy.

"I know I am, love. You really have no idea what I hide. But you'll soon find out." And that  _wink_  that she gave sent Emma's heart fluttering. What the hell did she mean by that? Well, at least she would soon find out, right? Although, there was something both terrifying and exciting about that statement and made her scared and both curious to find out what the hell Regina was talking about.

"I think I'm rather terrified of what your dark side would be."

"Oh, I don't think you will be, Emma. At least, not with what you had given me." And then she was smirking once again, using her free hand to fumble around by her chair for what Emma guessed was her purse. It wasn't long before she had the black bag on her lap, searching through it for the gift that the blonde had given her yesterday. Then she pulled it out and Emma very nearly blushed.

"Had I known you were into this..." Regina twirled the strip of leather between her fingers and looked up at the blonde whose eyes were not locked on the rope-like material.

She honestly had no clue why she stuck the damned thing in Regina's purse. It was something that Graham had given her when the brunette wasn't looking. He had mentioned something about giving it to Regina. She would either know what to do with it or just be thoroughly confused as to why Emma would have given her such a strange object.

Emma had talked to Graham last night and told him of Regina's reaction towards the leather. She nearly ripped him a new one over the phone until he had somehow convinced her that all would be fine. Maybe Regina was just shocked that Emma would be into such a thing and the blonde didn't even know if she were. She would be awkward as hell with whatever techniques that her friend had suggested because she didn't remember half of them. But there was something about tying Regina down that sent shivers of excitement coursing through her body.

"I'm more curious about it, really. I heard and read things, but..."

"I see, dear." Regina nodded absently as she shoved the leather piece back into her purse. There was a twitch on her lips and Emma knew she was trying to bite back whatever smile she had going on. "Well, I still do have my present for you at home, if you still so desire to see it. Perhaps we can even combine the two?"

"We can do that?" Emma quirked a brow and Regina nodded.

"You'll just have to wait and see, dear. But, I'll have to grade the remaining tests beforehand." The brunette stuffed the remaining food in the container they came in and shoved that into Emma's backpack. "Think you can handle the wait?"

"As long as I'm with you, I can wait for anything." Emma smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes, as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Well, if you're so sure, darling." Regina stood, pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. "I shall see you after school, then. Take care, my love, and have a good rest of the day."

"I'll try, but I still have detention afterschool. Thanks, Gina. I, uh, I love you, yeah?" Emma quickly pecked Regina's lips just as the bell rang. Both made a noise of displeasure before the teacher replied.

"I love you, too."

Emma couldn't help the grin that easily spread across her face as she left the classroom, but not before giving Regina one last glance, in which was returned by the sweetest smile that could have very much given her cavities.

As she made her way to her Government class in Mr. Glass' room, she just couldn't seem to erase the damned smile from her lips. She was quite anxious about what Regina had planned for her later that day. The next two periods and that worthless detention would probably drag on with just her luck. Time was never fast enough when there was something she wanted to do. Hopefully the day would go by rather quickly because she was curious as hell about what Regina had meant. Was she really into stuff like that? Or was she just pulling her chain? And what was she going to give her?

So many questions and the answers to them were hours away. This wouldn't just be the slowest periods that she would ever been in, they'd also be the most agonizing. Her brain would probably be too occupied with questionable thoughts for her to pay attention in class. Maybe, then, she'd be able to get through the day. Oh, did she hope so.

* * *

After what had felt like hours more than the hours spent in school, the day was finally over and so was detention, especially with Jefferson and Victor. Those two had bugged her the entire time as Mr. Gold sat in his office and had immediately stopped whenever he showed any sign of checking on them. It was rather annoying, of course, but at least Emma occupied her mind- like she had throughout the entire day- with thoughts of what the hell Regina had planned. And every time that she had thought about it, and tried to ignore the two teenage boys, she gazed up at the clock or snuck in a glance at her phone to take the time.

That had always made her feel better, because she was counting down from an hour and each time that she checked it, there was less and less time for her to hitch a ride with Regina. She had become quite ecstatic when Mr. Gold had dismissed the three of them from detention, and so much, that she very nearly ran down the hallway towards Ms. Mills' room.

The brunette was outside the classroom, waiting with her purse, a few folders, and a warm smile. Emma immediately returned the smile and strutted the distance in haste to reach the awaiting teacher.

"Sorry it took me so long."

"It had only taken you a couple of minutes, dear. And, besides, while you were in the office, I was able to make a rather large dent in the tests. There are now less to grade, so that means more time to spend with you, my love. But there's bad news." Regina spoke as the two headed outside and to the Mercedes parked by the other staff cars- which had now declined immensely.

"Bad news?" Emma frowned, ducking her head to enter the passenger's side. Regina only nodded and handed the blonde the folders that she had in her hand before closing the door and rounding the vehicle.

When she got inside herself, did she then explain.

"I had found a neat stack of ungraded writing assignments from, I do believe, last week." The brunette muttered disdainfully as she start the car, soon after pulling out of the parking lot. "I'll have to at least make a dent on those tonight."

"Damn… Can I help with something?"

"You can't grade the papers, or the written part of the tests, but I will allow you to check over the multiple choice. Alright?"

Emma shifted slightly in her spot and nodded. "Alright."

"And that will let me at least get a start on the papers." The brunette concluded, parking the Mercedes in the driveway. "I want to at least get the tests done before anything, alright? I have… things planned if you do not mind."

"'Course not, babe. As long as I get to spend my time in the same vicinity as you, I am perfectly fine." Emma said as she and Regina exited the car and headed towards the house.

The blonde was nearly shivering by the time they had entered the house. It was damned cold out there and sitting in the car- which was also quite cold- hadn't helped much. Thankfully Regina didn't keep it too cold in her home, or too hot for that matter. It was the perfect temperature and Emma was thankful for that.

"Perfect. Would you like anything to drink or eat before we sit down?" Regina shrugged her pea coat off and hung it up in a little closet by the stairs. She had Emma remove her red leather jacket to hang up as well before taking her hand and leading her to the sitting room after the blonde had murmured a negative response.

"Come, my dear, we shall sit and grade papers."

"Oh, joy."

"Welcome to the life of a teacher." The brunette chuckled, taking a seat on the leather couch, her purse hitting the floor next to her feet and the folders on the coffee table in front of her. Emma gladly occupied the space next to her and immediately got handed a sleek, black folder and a red ballpoint pen.

"I have the answer key on the front of the stack. There should be one class period's tests left which, if I am not wrong, will be underneath the key bound with a paperclip. You may check the other stacks in case I had missed any, but as far as I know, those are the only ones that are left." The teacher explained as Emma opened the folder and removed the stacks of paper from inside.

As she looked over the tests to make sure that the brunette was correct, Regina had begun pulling out the papers from her classes' writing assignments. She had also gained a red ballpoint pen and started to read through the paper on the top of the first stack. Emma, on the other hand, had started to grade the very first paper. Luckily it was set up rather easy with the answer on a separate line on the far left side of the paper. Now she understood why teacher's made their tests like this. It was a hell of a lot easier to grade.

And so she found out as her eyes scanned over the answers on the first page's key, then over the test of the student. When she had checked what was incorrect and finished up with that, she proceeded onto the second page and did the same thing, and continued with that for the rest of the answers until she hit the page where the short answers had come into play. She set that test aside and picked up the next, becoming rather concentrated with her work now. It really wasn't so bad and quite easy at that. Perhaps she could help Regina often with grading tests. She wouldn't mind and it would be a lot quicker if she were to do this part, especially if there were no written response questions- although on Regina's tests, that was quite the impossibility.

But for now, she wanted to get through this stack of tests and hope that they would be completed rather early to get to whatever the hell Regina had planned. Emma was still quite anxious about it and spending the entire day coming up with scenarios wasn't agonizing enough, it was sitting here, knowing that at any moment she would be getting the answer that she had been looking for all day.

Luckily, it had seemed like no time before she was done grading the tests in that stack, and ones that she had found that had been left ungraded. Seeing that there wasn't any more tests to be graded, she kicked back on the couch and watched as the brunette teacher read through the written responses on the tests. She just looked so unbelievably sexy in those thick, black framed glasses, and the way that she pressed the butt of the pen to her lips as she read was almost agonizing.

Emma wanted so desperately to touch her, but she knew that the older woman was concentrated and needed to be so in order to finish her work. But, god, did she look just so goddamn  _tempting_. The blonde, for the most part, tried to keep her hands to herself, but let her eyes roam over the brunette's hunched form. She had spent what felt like hours watching Regina sift through the papers, stacking the finished ones beside her (which she had only gotten through five out of twenty-two). Emma knew how many tests were in that stack and she also knew how many that the teacher had gone through, and it seemed as if things weren't getting done fast enough. Boy, did she wish that Regina would allow her to grade the written bits of the tests, because this sure as hell would be going by faster. But, it didn't work that way, and there were still about seventeen more tests to grade before they were freed and allowed to spend time together doing something other than work for school.

Emma flopped on the couch beside Regina, grunting with each movement. She could feel the older woman pause her work momentarily before shooting her an annoyed gaze, then go back to grading the tests splayed before her on both the couch and coffee table.

The blonde huffed slightly and shifted once again, bringing her legs up underneath herself to lean her body towards Regina. That woman was too damned tempting and she had only finally finished the sixth test. It felt as if it had taken them three hours to get that far, even though she knew her brain was exaggerating, but it still had felt as if it had been forever and the blonde was absolutely bored out of her skull.

In her new position, she attempted to brush raven strands aside to expose olive toned skin. Leaning even further, she pressed her lips to the soft flesh and started to trace patterns up and down the side of her throat.  
Regina's breath hitched upon contact, and tilted her head slightly to the opposite side, allowing Emma more access to the tanned flesh. The blonde couldn't help but to smirk against the older woman's skin. She was giving in. She must be just as bored and done with this work as she was.

"Emma…" The brunette hummed. "We can't do this. I need to get work done."

"Oh, come on! It's boring as hell." The blonde slightly pouted, but hadn't ceased her peppering kisses.

"I need to get these graded." Regina tried to straighten herself and continue to read the answers on the current test in her hand. But Emma, ever relentless, shifted onto her knees and swung one leg across Regina's own, ending up with a straddle on her lap. The brunette had gasped with surprise at the sudden movement and snapped her head up to meet Emma's emerald gaze.

"Please, baby?" Emma bent her head down to capture the older woman's lips with her own. Regina had hesitated before returning the kiss and the blonde could feel the reluctance. But when she had made a home of the teacher's lap and pressed her mouth hungrily against the plump red ones, she felt all sense of indecision melt away.

Regina had now eagerly slid her mouth against Emma's, her tongue slipping out to taste the teenager's pale lips. Her fingers dug pleasantly into the blonde's sides as the latter had tugged at brunette locks, earning a soft squeak.

But then Emma was off Regina's lap before she knew it and looked up, dazed, at the brunette who now stood above her. Excitement shot straight to her core at the possibilities running through her head that the teacher might plan on doing next. All those core-burning thoughts immediately quenched upon seeing the brunette grab her purse and gesture towards the stairs.

"I'll give you your present now since you seem so impatient. But, before I take you home, I must finish those papers. And, yes, I will make you sit through another boring hour. You wanted to help, dear, remember that." The corner of her mouth tilted up as she headed towards the foyer, Emma hastily jumping up to follow behind.

"Fine." Emma shrugged. Really, she didn't mind. At least she wouldn't have to wait any longer to receive this gift that Regina had for her. She was getting rather anxious now and there really was no way she could wait any longer. The blonde wouldn't mind sitting for another hour of boring hell hour as long as it was  _after_  this present.

And they were getting warmer, she suspected as they reached the top of the curled staircase. She hadn't really been paying attention to where they were going, and when they stopped inside a rather large room, did she finally get her brain to boot up and process where the hell they were at and what the hell they were doing. This was Regina's bedroom.

She was in Regina's bedroom.

Of course, she should have figured at some point in their relationship they would be in here, but really, now that it was happening, she couldn't believe it. She was in Regina's  _lavish_  bedroom, and it just looked so goddamn fancy. Like, really. She had a  _huge_  bed. And if that weren't enough, there was this area at the far side of the foot of the bed with a few chairs and end tables. She had her own fucking living room in here,  _and there was a fireplace_. God, she was almost afraid to see what the en suite bathroom looked like.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be out with your present in a moment." Regina's husky voice broke through the blonde's thoughts. She could only nod, muttering something incoherent before perching on the edge of the bed. The brunette had smiled and there was something just so  _conniving_  about it that sent shivers down Emma's spine. She had something planned and that something was probably a big something that had the blonde even more anxious. Even though Regina had just went through a door and she wanted her to hurry and return with whatever the surprise was.

"Shit…" Emma mumbled under her breath and began to kick her shoes off, soon tossing her socks in their general direction. Then she sat there, looking around at the meaningless art on the wall. It went rather well with the décor, really, and Emma really liked it. It was something she could definitely get used to. But, right now, she didn't want to stare at any of it. That was an experience to have post-coital. She wanted Regina to get out here because she already missed her warmth and kisses, and the way that she had left her hanging all hot and bothered should be illegal.

"If you don't hurry up, I'm gonna snoop!" The blonde threatened, sliding her butt off the bed to idly walk over to the nightstand on the right side of the bed. What did she have in there? Books? Magazines? Papers? Glasses? Something… dirty?

"Go right ahead, dear. My home is your home." Regina's voice echoed from across the room and Emma shrugged. If she didn't mind, Emma wouldn't protest to some snooping. Perhaps, then, she could find out a little bit more about her and see what she hides in her nightstand. Of course, if the brunette was so ready to offer…

So she quickly opened the drawer to the nightstand and peeked inside, only to find, with great disappointment, one of the romance novels that Regina liked and a pair of reading glasses. With a slight pout to herself for not finding something juicy, Emma shut the drawer and rounded the bed to check the other side. Might as well, seeing as to how it couldn't be any more disappointing, even if the damned thing were empty.  
With a shrug to herself, she pulled open the drawer, expecting to find more disinteresting objects, like a paper of some sort, or another book. But to her utter amazement, and slight shock, she found something quite more phallic than a book or reading glasses.

"You goddamn naughty woman!" Emma squawked, shoving the drawer back into its place.

"Oh, did you find my little toys, dear?" Regina purred from the doorway. Emma's eyes immediately locked onto the woman who now appeared visible to her, and her jaw had very literally dropped.

Regina was standing there in nothing but  _leather_. She was clad in a tight, leather corset that punctuated her breasts, and a small, black leather pair of panties. In one of her hands was the leather rope that Emma had given her and in the other held what appeared to be a whip of some sort. And if that weren't enough mouth-watering leather, the woman was wearing thigh high heels that made the whole outfit.

_What the hell did I just get myself into?_

Whatever it was, it had Emma standing in wet panties, because that woman looked sexy as hell in leather and even more so with the objects in her hands. All the possibilities to be had with those items had another shot of heat sent to her already aching core.

"Are you going to be alright, dear?" Regina's voice seemed nothing but a growl as she slowly made her way over, appearing as if she were an animal stalking its prey.

Emma could feel a lump forming in her throat and had tried so desperately to swallow around it, because here she came and, holy fuck, was this definitely worth the wait.

"Y-yeah…"

"Good, because I will be needing that mouth," she smirked, closing the space between them with only mere inches separating their parted lips. "Also, before we further anything… I would like to wish you a happy belated birthday. Here's your gift and I do hope that you enjoy."

"I know I will-"

"Too much talking." Regina surged forward, crashing her lips on Emma's already parted ones. She felt the older woman's tongue invade her mouth without warning, which had her pressing closer against the brunette's body with a soft groan. Her own tongue slid against Regina's in a twisted tango as she felt the woman's hands explore her curves with great contempt. The hairs on her body stood on end from the contact, and when those very curious hands slid underneath her T-shirt, she shivered and gave the brunette's tongue a hard suck.

Then Regina had pulled away from the kiss, retracting her tongue from the blonde's mouth as she swiftly removed the teenager's shirt, tossing it somewhere behind her. Emma's cheeks burned from being left without her shirt, but the older woman didn't seem to take notice, for her lips were soon again on her, tasting the pale flesh on her throat with fingers working at the clasps of her brassiere.

"There we go…" Regina's voice was nothing but a sensual purr as the material snapped forward and she removed it, dropping it on the floor by their feet. Her lips connected themselves with Emma's collarbone and soon ventured their way down with a soft, peppering trail.

Emma watched as she only went further, even passing through the valley between her breasts, then straight down to her flat abdomen until she had hit the barrier of jean. Regina lifted her gaze up to the blonde with a small lilt on her lips as her fingers fumbled with the button and zipper.  
Emma shifted in her spot, trying so hard to ease the burning throb between her thighs. But it was rather futile as the brunette teacher reattached her mouth to the silky surface of Emma's heated, porcelain flesh. As she trail her plump lips downwards, she started to drag the jeans off the blonde's hips. It wasn't until the article of clothing was halfway down her thighs did she notice that Regina had also hooked her fingers onto the blonde's panties.

"Gina…" Emma gasped when she felt those lips grace over her tender flesh, which had her knees buckling and her hips bucking against the older woman's mouth, desperate for more contact. She could feel Regina's tongue slip out and lave across her sensitive folds, earning a squeak from the blonde as she tried to grind against the brunette.

"Please…" the blonde moaned into thick air, her head tilted back with her fingers curled tightly in raven locks.

But Regina had pulled away and stood straight up, that teasing tongue of her coming out slowly to lick off any juices on her lips. "I have something else planned for you." And if the sensuality in the brunette's tone weren't so promising, Emma would be protesting against her sudden halt.

"Wh-what?"

"Get on the bed, my pet, and you shall see."

Emma quickly obeyed the older woman's request and clambered onto the middle of the bed.  
Regina had soon joined her with the leather rope in her grasp and a delicious smirk on her face. It didn't take a genius to know what she had in mind and the thought of what she was about to do sent delightful shivers down her spine.

Both of Emma's wrists were soon bound together by the leather as Regina sit on her knees next to Emma's head. She tied her wrists up onto what appeared to be a hook placed on the wall above on the wall, which was conveniently placed in the middle of where the mattress would be.

Had she done something like this before?

That thought had sent Emma's heart sinking. She didn't like the thought of Regina with anyone else, and in her bed. She wanted the brunette all to herself and if she had to, she would let Regina know that.

"All secure, my dear." Regina grinned, her teeth pearly against her red painted lips. "Now it's  _my_  turn."

"What do you mean?" Emma lifted her large, green gaze to meet with the brunette's.

"I mean that it's my turn to be pleasured. You must find a way to satisfy me with your hands tied above your head. You are free to contemplate it for a moment, but if you come up with a bad egg of an idea, or fail to satisfy me to an orgasm, you shall be whipped." And as to enunciate what she had just said, Regina brought the whip back into her possession and held it up with the wickedest of looks.

"Whipped?" Emma squeaked.

"Yes. So I do suggest you get to planning, and wisely… That is, unless you like the pain."

"How the hell am I supposed to do this? It's fucking impossible!" The blonde wished she could have taken those words back out of the air, because the quirked brow and the sparkle in Regina's eyes told her that she was in for it.

"Wrong answer." Regina only slightly turned her body from the position by Emma's head and let the whip fall across the blonde's pale abdomen.

Emma yelped from the lash, only able to see stars as pain shot through her body and, surprisingly enough, straight to her core.

"Do you have a different answer?"

"I don't know! I don't know how to fucking do it! This is so stressful, I hate being put under pressure." Emma squeezed her eyes shut as Regina, without a single warning, lashed out with the whip once again. She didn't know how the hell to do  _anything_  to Regina at this point. All things logical had flown out the window and the pressure she was under was only forcing her brain to turn off. She just couldn't think with Regina breathing down her neck and there was that fear of having to be whipped for not coming up with a correct answer.  
"Fuck! Can't you just lay off and give me a goddamn moment?"

That had earned a frown from the brunette. The playful smile and twinkle had completely left her visage as she gazed down at the blonde below her.

"Do you not want to do this? I-I'm sorry if you don't… I didn't mean for this to not be fun… I thought you would like it."

Emma felt like she just got hit with a truck after turning her attention to Regina. The poor brunette looked like a goddamn kicked puppy and Emma knew just how exactly she must be feeling. She was firstly excited to show this all to Emma, believing that she would like it and that it would please her, only to be rejected for all the work and thought that she had put into it. It wasn't that Emma didn't like nor appreciate what Regina was doing for her, so much as the fact that she hated being put under pressure and every time that she attempted to speak, she only got hurt.

"No… I want to. I like it, Gina. I just hate… I hate being put under pressure with what you have on my shoulders and not being able to express my current inability to think about what I can do. I probably know how to do this, but just… I need some time and no whips threatening me until after I think up something. Okay, babe?" Emma tried to reach up to cup the older woman's face, only to be stopped by the leather bound to her wrists. She only huffed and gave Regina a pleading look, which had the brunette bending over her in a matter of seconds. With a fresh smile, the blonde tilted her head up and pressed her lips to her lover's.

"Alright, pet, I will give you some time to think."

"Thanks." Emma said through a sigh and closed her eyes. Now she needed to delve deep into her mind to find ways to give Regina some pleasuring without use of her hands and she knew that she needed to do most of the work. There really was only one other way- so far, at least- that Emma could think of using at the moment and that would be her mouth.

Okay, so her mouth would work. Now how the hell would she do it in her position? She was on her back and not exactly where she wanted to be with what she was thinking of. Maybe she could reference some porn stuff that she had read. There must be  _some_  technique that would be brilliant to use in her position.

Wasn't there something-… Ah, yes, there was!  
"I got it!"  
"What is it, dear?" The brunette sat up on her knees once again and peered down at the blonde.

"Well, you oughta take off your panties, first."

"I suppose I might as well give you this one, right?" Regina chuckled and set the whip on the opposite side of the bed before slowly sliding the leather underwear down her hips and legs. The blonde watched the enticing movements with hungry eyes and licked her lips.

"Oh, yes, good…"

"What do you have planned?"

"I need you to… uh…"

"Yes?"

"It sounds so crass for me to just say it…" Emma could literally  _feel_  the blush creeping up her neck and heating her cheeks.

"Just spit it out, Emma. I  _love_  dirty talk."

"Oh, I know…" she muttered.

"I'll whip you again, dear. Is that what you want?"

"No thank you…" The blonde took a look at her stomach and the two red marks contrasting against the pale flesh from the earlier whipping. Sure, it did feel rather arousing to be struck by a whip with Regina on the other end, but it hurt like a bitch.

"Anyways, I, uh, I need you to get on my… my, uh, face."

"Your face?"

"Yeah. Straddle it. Like… It would work, right?"

"Oh, more than you would know, Emma dear." Regina's voice was a purr. She chuckled again at the way the blonde seemed to sheepishly sink into the bed before winking at her and changing positions.

Before Emma knew it, Regina was where she had wanted her to be, both thighs on either side of her head on the pillow with her hands clutched onto the headboard on either side of Emma's arms.

"Are you alright, dear?" She asked as her hips hovered over the blonde's face.

"Yeah! Just… go ahead and lower yourself, babe." Emma wished her hands weren't bound as the brunette lowered herself, taking a sharp inhalation of breath as her aching core had come into contact with the blonde's awaiting mouth. It would have been less awkward if she were able to hold Regina hips, especially as she started moving against Emma's already rapidly thrumming tongue.

"You know, Emma," Regina's voice was breathless already as she rocked against the blonde. When she got a grunt in response, she continued. "They call this queening."

 _Ah, so that's what this was called_.

She tried to make a sound that resembled " _oh?"_

"Yes. It suits me perfectly, don't you think? They call me the Evil Queen of the school."

Emma could just  _hear_  Regina's smirk. She must have just been so proud. But it was true. It  _had_  suited her perfectly. She was dubbed the Evil Queen and, well, she was queening now, or whatever the hell one would call it. Perhaps Emma should show her how much her loyal subjects appreciated such a queen?

So the blonde had made sure to hit every sensitive spot that she knew so far on Regina the best that she could on repeat, because if the older woman was as aroused as she, it would be for the best. She could feel Regina's arousal dripping down her thighs, which had ultimately coated bits of her face and had only shot more heat to her core. Oh, god, did she hope that Regina would soon return the favor because she was absolutely  _aching_  and yearned for a release of her own.  
With that in mind, it had only made her work faster with her tongue, working it between the sopping folds to find Regina's sweetest spot that had the older woman very nearly crying her name.

" _Oh, god! Right there! More!"_

Emma groaned a reply against her as she allowed the pace of her tongue to move faster, and tried for hard, against that very spot that had Regina rocking her hips in a wild, desperate tango against her mouth.

" _Emma please, I-I'm so close…_ " The brunette's plea had the blonde working faster, and somehow working her wrists free from the leather rope because her arms snapped forward from the tug that she had been consistently holding ever since she had started. Really, she hoped Regina wouldn't mind, nor whip her again, because her now free hands were gripping the older woman's hips and taking advantage to move her body up and down vertically in time with her thrusts.

And that had apparently done it in for Regina for her own movements had slowed to a stop as her inner walls clamped around Emma's tongue. The brunette's breath had hitched and hit a breathless frenzy as she tried to ride out the spasms taking over the functions of her body. Emma tried to help her ride it out all she could, and ultimately make the orgasm much more intense for her, as she continued to relentlessly thrum her tongue on that spot, which had the brunette moaning her name and clutching until her knuckles were white on the headboard.

" _Fuck,_  you're going to kill me, Emma…" Regina panted, her body had now finally relaxed from what felt like an endless spasm of her body. She lifted one leg over the blonde onto the left side of the bed, but not before the blonde had held her in place and gave the inside of her thigh one hard bite. Regina squeaked a profanity as she was released and collapsed next to Emma, her chest heaving and her brow sweaty.

"Did I do well?" the blonde smirked, her tongue coming out to lick the area around her mouth clean.

"That was the best orgasm of my life, dear. I think you did more than well…" Regina tossed onto her side and gazed at the blonde, her visage completed sated. "But what the fuck was that bite for?"

"Really?" Emma's eyes widened incredulously. Had it really been that good? And, shit… hopefully her little act of 'mine' didn't turn the brunette off. "I… I want you to be mine.  _Mine_  and no one else's."

"Really, dear. And I already am yours, don't forget that. If you want to mark me, try somewhere else. My thighs are a little sensitive. I'll have a bitch of a bruise there tomorrow."

"I'm sorry… I'll, uh, bite you somewhere else, then."

"Good. But, before you do that, let me repay you." The brunette purred before tossing onto her other side and reaching for the bedside table. She opened the drawer and Emma could hear fumbling before it had closed again and Regina was facing her once again, only this time she held something.

"What is that?"

"It's a bullet." Regina smirked and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "I take it you must have seen my-"

"Yeah. Yeah… no need to…"

"I'm quite sorry if I had traumatized you. I do hope you won't think of it as a self-pleasuring tool after I will have used it on you in the future. Because, I plan on doing just that." The brunette winked and leaned forward to press her lips to the blonde's florid cheek.

"I'm really having a hard time trying to imagine you buying that stuff."

"Why?"

"Because you're… you're all regal and classy and stuff. I just can't see you going into some adult store and buying a dildo."

"Well, it is quite a normal occurrence, dear. It's only natural."

"But, still…" Emma shifted slightly and eyed the little black object between the brunette's fingers.

"Don't worry about it, my pet. Just enjoy the pleasure that it brings." Regina whispered and hoist herself on top of the blonde once again, this time her entire body covering Emma's. She fumbled with her fingers for a moment before letting the one with the little bullet on it find the soaked folds between the blonde's legs.

"Your pet?"

"Yes, you are my pet. You are my… teacher's pet." The brunette smirked, leaving Emma blushing against the fluffy pillows. Did she really just say that? It had brought an entirely new meaning to the term 'teacher's pet', and the new definition was far more arousing than the original. Of course, Emma had started off as a typical teacher's pet, but now she was literally the teacher's  _pet_  and it really wasn't as bad as it might sound. She quite enjoyed being Regina's.

"I like that." Emma whispered, nosing against the brunette's olive cheek. "It makes me feel warm and fuzzy in all the right ways."

"Good, because you make me feel the same, Emma. And every time I see you…"

"Especially now. I can just picture you… squirming."

"Oh, god, you've got my insides already turning for another round, love." Regina chuckled, a rich sound that had Emma moving almost impatiently underneath the brunette.

"I want you to make me come, Gina.  _Please_. I need you. I want you. I  _crave_  you."

"Then it is me you shall have." Her voice was laced with sex as she flipped the bullet on and pressed it against the blonde's aching center. She made sure to coat it with Emma's arousal, which, in itself, had the blonde already writhing impatiently under her and her hips bucking for more pressure.

Regina hadn't hesitated to abide Emma's silent wish and slipped the object attached to her finger between the slick folds, almost immediately hitting the blonde's swollen clitoris.

" _Reg-G-Gina!_ " She cried, stars blurring her vision from the intense pleasure. Her entire body had jerked, hips meeting with Regina's hand and her back arching taut against the leather bound to the older woman.

"I found a good spot, hm?"

"Please…" The blonde whimpered, holding onto the brunette for dear life, her face buried in the crook of her neck. Regina pressed a kiss to the side of Emma's head as she, once again, granted her wish and began to thrust the object against the sensitive bundle of nerves, mercilessly making each hard and fast.  
Emma felt as if her head would explode at the amount of pleasure that had her body in a frenzy. Her hips barely had enough time to rock against the hand pleasuring her, meeting with each pump. She could feel her body already building up for climax and soon all that was on her mind was finding her release. Whatever that thing was felt absolutely amazing and worked rather quickly as well- although, that could have been from the sexual tension already built up from waiting so long after the initial interaction.

" _Fuck, fuck… Gina… I-I'm… I'm gonna…_ " Emma couldn't form the right words to say when her peak had hit her suddenly like a semi. Her hips bucked up one last time, slamming painfully into Regina's own, and her teeth sinking into tanned flesh. She didn't know how hard, and barely cared, until she tasted blood and heard the sharp gasp from the brunette who had slowed her fingers to a sudden halt.

Then the two were soon slumped against the bed, Regina felt like a dead weight on top of the blonde who was already struggling enough to breath with her heart rapidly thrumming against her chest like a jackhammer.

"I hope you do realize… that that bite…"

"Was too hard?" Emma frowned as she had noticed crimson trickling from the fresh wound on Regina's shoulder.

"No." The brunette lifted her brown gaze to meet with emerald, plump pink lips curving upwards. "It made me come again, my dear."

"No shit?"

"You are just amazing with your mouth, Emma. You are." She complimented, her voice husky, yet quite breathless, as she removed the little device and switched it off before tossing it onto her nightstand.

"What can I say? It got me this far in life." Emma shrugged, a smug smile on her face.

"Well, I certainly am glad, dear." Regina giggled, light and airy, as she brushed a strand of golden hair behind Emma's ear. "Because that means you're here and I have you all to myself."

"Yeah. And I have you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm super glad that the Nolans took me in."

"I am, too, darling." The brunette bent her head down slightly to press a kiss to the blonde's forehead, then moved down to peck her nose before sealing a kiss on her lips. Emma returned the kiss almost instantly, melting into the older woman like she was her safe haven.

"I love you, Emma Swan."

"I love you too, Regina Mills." The blonde's words were said on a yawn and she blushed, opening her mouth to apologize but Regina had interrupted her with a chuckle.

"Sounds like someone it worn out."

"Sure as hell am."

"Why don't you take a small nap, dear? I ought to clean up this blood and change before I can join you, if you don't mind?"

"Aw… I can wait?"

"If you wish, dear." The brunette chuckled and gave Emma a quick kiss on the lips before rolling off her and the bed to stand at the side with a warm smile. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay." Emma nodded and watched as Regina picked up a few things from the floor and headed off to through one of the doors. That was the last thing the blonde had seen before she dozed off.

Emma had woken up what felt like only five minutes later to a lamp light and scribbling. When she shifted, she felt the weight of Regina's comforters wrapped around her and saw the woman responsible for covering her up with them sitting cross-legged on the opposite side with a pen in her hand and her black, thick framed glassed resting halfway down the bridge of her nose.

The blonde rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to shove the drowsiness away, and sat up, bringing the covers with her. It was rather chilly in here now that she had absolutely nothing on and Regina wasn't necessarily sharing the blankets with her. She was sitting on them, which aroused a problem, since only half the blankets went up with Emma. The blonde sat awkwardly, watching as the brunette read a piece of paper on her lap with a stack of papers underneath it.

"How long have I been out?"

"About an hour." Regina answered without taking her eyes off the paper.

"Didn't you nap, too?"

"No." The brunette pulled her glasses off and turned her head towards the blonde, a brow quirked. "You were snoring not a minute after I went to change. So I decided to do all my chores quietly and try to finish grading these tests. I've got most of them done except for three."

"I'm sorry I fell asleep." Emma mumbled, lowering her head. "I normally don't fall asleep so fast."

"It's fine, my love. You were exhausted. Just be happy that you won't have to sit through an hour of watching me grade tests." Regina offered Emma a lopsided smile. "Why don't you come over here and snuggle me while I finish these off? Then we can get you home."

"What? I don't want to go home." The blonde's tone was rather whiny now as she crawled over to Regina and hooked an arm around her waist, her chin sitting on the woman's shoulder.

"You will have to, Emma. Your mother will be worried if you do not arrive soon. It's almost eight thirty now. I don't think it would be appropriate if you were tutoring with me for this long." Regina explained soothingly, rubbing the blonde's back in slow, circular motions.

Emma nodded and sighed without any further argument. She knew that she couldn't stay here late at all. It was strange enough that she was tutoring with Ms. Mills for  _government_ , but arriving home so late at night was even more so. It really shouldn't take the four or five hours it will have been to study.

"Good girl." Regina rumbled. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Emma replied, a small smile gracing her lips as she watched the teacher return to grading the tests. She would never get tired of hearing those three little words coming from the older woman's mouth. They were like music to her ears- the sweetest melody that she had ever heard.

So she had decided to remain a good girl and keep quite through the next three test gradings until the brunette was finished with them and had also obeyed when Regina asked her to get dressed so they could go. It wasn't long before they were leaving the house, Emma reluctantly so. She wished she could stay here, even live here, so she would never have to leave the brunette. Sadly, she couldn't, or at least not until she was old enough to do so- and that would be if Regina would have her there. But, really, that was something that should be put off for a later date. That was something that needed to still be discussed with Regina because she didn't know where the hell their relationship was going, but she did know that it was quite serious and might develop into something even more so later down the path. Just hopefully it would stay as strong as it is now and perhaps build even stronger the more their relationship progresses. All Emma knew at the moment was that she never wanted to leave Regina and missed every minute that they were apart. That was typical for new lovers, and Emma knew that, but she certainly hoped that their relationship so far wasn't based on something that of puppy love or flimsy feelings. What she felt seemed real enough, but she couldn't be sure. She hadn't necessarily been in love before. But maybe, just maybe, this was the real thing. And maybe, it would last for a very long time.


	16. Winter Formal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know it's all late again. I'm terribly sorry about that! I had most of it written in a notebook. About the first half (maybe less) is something that I had written for a while now (probably back to when I first posted Teacher's Pet). I intended the story to just skip to this part and this would actually be their first time. I hope, though, that I had utilized it enough to fit with where the story is now.
> 
> Alsooooo, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, even though it's a bit tardy. :) Please tell me what you think of this chapter! I really do enjoy your feedback and whatever suggestions you may have (shameless or not). Thank you sooo much for reading! And thank you for all that had left reviews for my last chapter. I really, really, really appreciate them! They're fun to read! :)
> 
> One last thing, I have been informed of this petition called "Stop SOPA 2014". I swear there was something like this a year or so back, but it's threatening to remove anything that may be considered piracy, which would include, but not limited to, fanart, fanfictions, fan-pages, and fan made videos. I don't think we'd really survive if those things went bye-bye. Give it a shot and sign the petition, if you wish.  
> petitions. whitehouse. gov/petition/stop-sopa-2014/q0Vkk0Zr

It wasn't until the week before winter break when Emma had finally completed the portrait of Ms. Mills. To the blonde teenager's discontent, they weren't supposed to work on the project right away. But, when they did get to work on it, it wasn't going to be exactly what Emma had planned. They were doing it in ebony pencil at first, which was fine with her because the drawing turned out exactly how she wanted it, but then Ms. Boyd surprised at least her with announcing that they were going to do it  _again_. But this time it was supposed to be even further detailed with charcoal, both white and black,  _and_  ebony pencil.

Emma wanted to cry. She was eager to show her creative writing teacher the ebony portrait as soon as it was completed, but the damned art teacher wouldn't let the students take them out of the room. She contemplated on sneaking it out, but the damned folder was too large and the pencil bits too messy. So she had to wait.

And it wasn't until after the entire class had finished the charcoal was she able to receive both projects back. Then she was conflicted. Emma thought for sure the ebony portrait would be the best, but goddam, the way she was able to capture every detail of Regina's eyes and perfect smile with the charcoal made her want to take the messier project to flaunt.

That was a mistake, because when she arrived home the day she was able to bring the projects back, she was covered and messy as hell. That's when Mary Margaret had suggested she had the pictures framed to preserve their appearance. Of course, Emma had no argument with that and decided to wait the few extra days until they were fitted and framed. She had to do it all herself instead of letting her foster mother take the art with her. Really, she didn't want Mary Margaret to know that the subject was that of Regina Mills. That would surely earn some questioning.

But by the time she had them in her room, sitting in their shiny new frames, it was Thursday night and Regina was busy with work, so she couldn't bring them over. She had to wait before she would be able to show the teacher the charcoal portrait of herself. And, shit, that was going to be a bother to carry around school for three whole periods and what have it afterwards.

Maybe she could leave it home and convince Regina to wait for her as she would quickly run home and grab it. And so she did. Fourth period was over and Regina was waiting by her desk for Emma to assume her place.

The blonde pulled out the paper bag and two bottles of juice from her backpack before heading over to the teacher's desk and setting the items down. Regina offered her a smile before her visage melted into that of confusion.  
"Are you not going to sit today, Emma?" she asked.

"Actually," Emma started, a light pink tinting her cheeks as she played with one of the juices. "I finished that drawing of you."

"You did?" She seemed momentarily confused before surprise etched across her features. "I had forgotten that you were working on that, dear. I assumed that you had given up."

"Never." Emma quickly said.  
"Where is it?" This time, Regina seemed to have taken a much darker tone to her cheeks and that had the blonde smirking, although she tried to hide it from the brunette's wandering chocolate orbs.

Emma bit her lip and played with a blonde lock of hair, twirling it around her finger. "At my house. I have to go get it. I didn't want to lug that thing around throughout the day."

"Oh, you shouldn't walk out in this weather, honey." Regina frowned, looking up at the blonde who stood on the other side of her desk. "It snowed this morning. I don't think it's a wise idea."

"But I want you to see it." Emma pouted and took a step away from the brunette's desk. "You were busy yesterday when it got back from the framers."

"Emma…" She looked conflicted for a moment, then quickly stood from her chair and grabbed the pea coat that draped around the back of it.

Emma stopped. "What are you doing?"

With a playful roll of her eyes, Regina shrugged the coat on and grabbed the purse underneath her desk. "If you're going to be so persistent upon walking to your house to grab a drawing to show me, the least I can do is drive you. I do not want you to get sick. That would really tamper with my plans for you."

_Well, fuck, I've never thought of that. Of course Regina could drive me._

Emma's heart fluttered as she watched the brunette teacher walk past her to the door. "Are you coming?" she asked, opening said door.

"What about lunch?"

"You can grab it, if you feel so inclined. Be sure to turn the lights off. I'll lock the door." Then she walked into the hallway.

Emma quickly grabbed their lunches without protest and rushed out the door after her teacher. Regina was already halfway down the hall by the time the blonde had turned the light off. Her hips were swaying in that same delicious tease that she had often taunted Emma with. It was an agonizing thing to watch, but she had found herself already missing the view of Regina's ass when she disappeared outside. It hadn't taken the blonde long to catch up with her, and the both of them to be in the Mercedes.

"Are you ready to go, my love?" Regina tilted her head towards the blonde who had fastened her seat belt in time to return the gaze.

"Yup." Emma bit her lip and waited as the brunette pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. It wasn't long before the two of them had arrived at the Nolan's apartment.

Regina had parked the Benz just outside and turned to the teenager who hadn't moved. She sat there idly, staring out the window at the tall building before turning her emerald gaze to meet the brunette's awaiting visage.

"Be quick, alright?"

"You should come in." The words were out of her mouth faster than she intended, and fuck, that was strike number god knows anymore. She hated her foot-in-mouth disease.

"Well, I'm unsure-"

"It won't hurt. Besides, it's cold out here and we have a table to eat at." Emma smiled reassuringly, completely unsure of what the hell her brain was doing. Her mouth was just as bad. "My parents are gone- I mean… Not to sound... I mean… So you wouldn't be intruding or anything." And there it was again. Fuck. She needed to get surgery for that.

"If you insist." She gave Emma an amused smile before shutting the Mercedes down and pocketing the keys. "I'll grab the lunches."

"Thanks. I have to find the stupid key again." Emma mumbled as she got out of the car, the faint sound of a chuckle sounded behind her and she couldn't help but to smile. Soon, she found the house key in the mess of the kangaroo pocket to her hoodie. The two of them headed towards the apartment building and that's when Emma suddenly felt embarrassed.

"I'm sorry it's crappy," she mumbled, sticking the key into the lock as soon as they reached apartment three on the second floor. It was a sudden tide of self-consciousness that had washed over her. She had seen how nice Regina's house was. How clean, tidy, pristine, and so  _luxurious_. Her measly apartment fell in the shadows of such a great building.

"Don't be, dear. It's fine." The brunette reassured, following the blonde eighteen-year-old into the small loft. Upon seeing the small kitchen table, she sat the bag and juices down along with her purse. "Shall I wait while you retrieve the drawing?"

"Yeah. I'll be back. You have a seat. Make yourself at home." Then Emma jogged up the stairs to her bedroom, making haste in removing the charcoal drawing from the wall. She was soon back downstairs, only to stop as if she ran into an invisible wall. There was Ms. Regina Mills, sitting at  _her_  table, in  _her_  house, and oh god, hopefully this wasn't a dream. Even though they had been going with each other for a couple of weeks now, she still couldn't believe the very sight of this woman in her home. This was all brought home and only made it all the more real. Regina didn't seem to notice Emma's presence, so the blonde just stood there and enjoyed the sight. She could never get over the masterpiece that was now her own. It was still quite unbelievable that all of this had happened. And to her, of all people. She found someone that cared for her and that she cared for herself. Although, that wasn't quite the picture that Emma was looking at, but it was a rather good one to gaze upon. It was Regina that she couldn't believe that she had. That beautiful woman wanted her.

Regina was gazing around the small loft as she waited, eyes roving over every picture, every decorative knick-knack, and… then they stopped as soon as they saw the bed. Emma's parents' room had no door, since the entire first floor was virtually an open plan- omit the bathroom, of course. And, oh god, she's staring at the bed with flushed cheeks.

So Emma cleared her throat, nervously chuckling as she reached her teacher. "Hey…"

"Oh, Emma!" The brunette visibly jumped in her spot, caught off guard from her roaming eyes.

"I've got it."

"Show me." Now the teacher was eagerly facing Emma, muddy orbs on the large frame in her hands. The glass had been turned away from Ms. Mills, but as soon as her eyes landed on the object in her student's hand, Emma flipped it around.

And she gasped.

"Oh, my…"

And then she stood, a slender hand outstretched as if she were going to touch the glass, but was too afraid to. Her mouth was open, jaw slack as if she had witnessed the most impressive of sights. Emma bit her lip, stunned at the tears welling in the woman's eyes.

"It's so… so realistic, Emma. You've done a beautiful job." Regina commented, looking up to the blonde with a large, appreciative smile on her face. And, god, her teeth are so perfectly white.

"It should be. It's you." Emma muttered, wanting so much to stick her foot quite literally in her mouth after that, because the look on Regina's face was priceless. Emma couldn't read the myriad of emotions running across her teacher's visage. She had complemented Regina so many times before- of course it would be the appropriate thing to do since they were dating after all. But she knew that the brunette still so rarely heard these things- or more so before Emma showed up. The blonde didn't quite know how Regina saw herself on this piece of paper, but she must think it was someone entirely different. Someone that wasn't herself because she was too pretty.

Emma knew how Regina's mind worked at times, and she was quite certain that that was exactly what was on the brunette's mind. Emma could even hear the teacher's deep voice bringing them to life now.  _How could that woman be me? It's impossible… She's too beautiful to be me._  
"No… I'm not beautiful, dear. Your portrait is a million times the woman- the beauty- that I am." The husky voice was so quiet, Emma barely heard what she had said.  
"You're beautiful, Gina." Emma spoke far more loudly than she had intended, but it had definitely gotten the point across, for the brunette's eyes had widened incredibly. "I know what you're thinking, but you are. That's… why I wanted to draw you in the first place. I mean, looking back on it now, it was probably really creepy that I wanted to- seeing as to how you were my teacher, well,  _are_. Now, though, I can say what I feel. I can give you the reason why. I don't know who or whatever made you think any differently, but it's all wrong. I mean, a lot of women, and men, face those everyday demons. Their reflection in the mirror that stares back so tauntingly at them is just another reminder that they are not good enough, they are not those models in magazines and billboards. Hell, the models on those things aren't even what they appear. It's all Photoshop and shit.

"I'm, like, fucking rambling on about this, but, like I had said before, I  _will_  make you think the best of yourself. I don't want you feeling like you aren't good enough or pretty enough or smart enough or whatever the hell enough, because you are. And more importantly, you are to  _me_  and that's all that matters. I love you the way that you are and I don't want you to change a thing about yourself. I don't want you to feel horrible about what you may think is wrong with you. Nothing is wrong with you, absolutely nothing is."

"Emma, darling… Please. Don't do this. I'm really not worth the time nor effort to-."

But Emma didn't let the older woman speak. She cut her off with a finger pressed against those perfect, red lips. "You  _are_  worth the effort, Regina, can't you see? I don't know what you're thinking or how your mind works in order to understand how you're feeling, but I really want you to believe me. Whoever might have hurt you in the past... making you think all these absurd thoughts, I will try my damnedest to reverse them. Please let me do that. Please let me do it for  _you_. I want you to believe me when I say these things… But you don't have to and I won't force you to."

"You seem to give me a lot of these little talks, don't you, dear?"

"I do it when you feel bad and I'll blab on until the cows come home about how beautiful, intelligent, perfect, haunting, and what have you, that you are. I don't give a damn if I sound repetitive. That seems to be the way to get your ass to believe me." The blonde tightly crossed her arms across her chest and gave Regina a quirked brow. "Now, if you have  _anything_  to say, do it now or forever hold your peace. Or… well… until later because my mouth is dry."

"Emma…" Those plump lips moved, but no sound left them. Her name coming from those lips, though, made up for it. It was so soft, almost breathless, and dare she add even huskier than before. Emma's mind and vision felt blurry, and everything seemed to spin around her. This was unreal. This wasn't happening. This only happened in her dreams. Perhaps that's what was happening. She was dreaming and being in her house was only alerting her just that. They weren't supposed to be in her apartment. It was a dangerous place to be and a rather small one as well. But that had never stopped her from fantasizing at the dinner table, or in bed when the nights were lonely.

But her parents were gone. Mary Margaret at the elementary school and David at the Sheriff's station, or patrolling somewhere. Although, she could give a rat's ass as long as they were anywhere but here at the moment. If she was reading Regina correctly- with her brown eyes completely black with pupils dilated to several times their size, and her slightly parted lips with quick puffs of air slipping from between them- the woman was hungry and horny as hell, just like herself.

So why not go after it? No one was here and Emma's bed was just right upstairs. The table would also suffice, but would be rather uncomfortable. So, the blonde had decided to go for it. The frame was set aside as she took a step forward, right into Regina's personal bubble.

Her breath had now become shallow and her heart rate sped up, coursing adrenaline throughout her body. Emma's voice was a heady whisper, which was surely to turn the brunette on.

"Ever since the first day, I just couldn't take my eyes off you. You had this perfect, silky hair…" she recollected, daring to bring a hand up, running her fingers through the hair she had yearned to touch back then. It was still soft, just like silk. She would never tire of running her fingers through Regina's raven mane.

Swallowing thickly, her green eyes stared into the brown ones in front of her, which were blown wide with a deep, voracious hunger that Emma knew could never be satisfied with food. "And your eyes. They show so much hidden emotion, I've had fun staring into them, trying to figure out what you're thinking as you speak. But that mouth. You had this dark, red lipstick on, and, oh, it was so agonizing to watch as you licked them between every sentence."

Emma's second hand found purchase on Regina's cheek, and she heard that sharp intake of air as she gently ran the pad of her thumb over the older woman's upper lip, lightly skating the scar that she had been so curious about. She never did ask about that, but really, this was not much of a taking matter. Perhaps she'd address it later, like the many other things she had put off for so long.

"And you wore this tight,  _tight_  power suit that just hugged your ass. Every time you turned or bent…" Emma chewed on her lower lip as the hand in the raven locks fell away to rest on Regina's posterior end. And that's when she surged forward and crashed her lips against the English teacher's.

It was nothing but needy desperation as she furiously kissed those goddamn lips that had taunted her since the beginning of the year, almost four months ago. She was terrified that she had read Regina wrong, for she hadn't made a point to move, that was, until she felt a hand cup the nape of her neck as soft lips moved against her own.

Emma felt the older woman's lips part and she took that as invitation to enter her mouth. And,  _fuck_ , she tasted good. She tasted sweet and so much like caramel apples. Then the blonde remembered seeing one of those paper coffee cups on her desk earlier in fourth period. If that wasn't enough to bring Emma to her knees, it was that  _delicious_  groan that emanated from Regina's throat which caused the blonde to think she would  _absolutely_ die.

And then it was over when oxygen became a necessity. Both had mutually pulled away, panting heavily and staring at each other with dilated pupils.

 _This has to be a dream_ , Emma thought, her legs slightly wobbly as she stood, being mostly supported by Regina's arms which had sometime taken her small frame into them.

"Reg… Regina…" Emma couldn't help but to say her name, and it came out so breathlessly and lustfully, and fuck, that look that it had earned her.

It was almost a silent plea on that woman's face, and Emma thinks that she knew exactly what the brunette was asking for she felt the desire throbbing between her own thighs.

"Emma…"

That was enough to get Emma to gather her wit and grab onto the brunette's hand, then proceeded to head towards the stairs that led up to her bedroom. As soon as her feet hit the top landing, she turned to look at the woman who had followed behind her, a lip caught between her teeth.  
That was a  _holy hell, fuck all things moral_  look right there and it was enough to force Emma into the room and up against a wall as their lips came crashing down on one another again. The sensation caused more heat to pool between her legs and she swore if she didn't get touched soon, she would explode right there.

Emma had decided to make the first move, moving her free hand to cup the side of Regina's neck. Apparently that was enough for the brunette, for Emma soon felt a hand tugging at her black jeans until soon she felt it go past the waistband.

" _Oh_ ," she gasped against the teacher's cheek when the hand reached her panties and slipped past the elastic band. She blushed deeply as the hand tried to squeeze inside the tight jeans, fingers brushing against her sensitive flesh in the process which was enough for Emma to blank.

All logical and coherent thoughts flew out of her brain in that moment. Whatever was happening at the moment was nothing but raw emotion and there was no stopping it. Emma backed away from the wall, her hand on the brunette's wrist in an attempt to tug it out of her pants. Then there was that look, a look of absolute rejection once she did that.

Guilt ate at her heart for making Regina feel like she was being rejected. Of course, she wasn't, so Emma gave her a reassuring kiss before slipping her jeans off. She smiled, hoping it was explanation enough, before tugging on the older woman's hand to bring her closer so she could begin removing the pea coat she still wore.

But Regina stopped her with a lifted hand and shook her head. Heart sinking into her stomach, Emma backed away, only to notice as the high school teacher began to undress herself. And, holy fuck, was that just hot. It was first the coat, which landed next to the blonde's jeans. Next it was the jacket, which left Regina's arms completely exposed.

Emma licked her lips at the sight of smooth, olive skin and made haste to remove what remained of her own clothing. It took her record time to shuck everything off and now she stood, self-consciously, in her birthday suit. One leg crossed over the other as her arms crossed over her exposed breasts.  
Regina, on the other hand, stood proudly, stark naked in the middle of Emma's bedroom. This reminded the teenager of a dream she had the other night and it made her pray to whatever high deity that this was real. This was not a dream.

The kiss seemed real enough, and so did the feeling of her teacher's breasts and skin against her own. And,  _oh_ , did it feel so  _good_. Emma couldn't help but to let out a guttural moan from each sensation. Her desire only grew into a raging fire, the sudden need had her pressing closer against the tanned flesh. Her hips ground against the other woman's, and the sound that came from her shot straight to Emma's core.

Teeth clashing, tongues dueling, and lips smashing against each other, the two eventually found the bed and fell back against it. Somehow Regina had ended up on top, slowly rocking against the thigh between her own. The blonde's hands roamed over as much olive flesh as they could, savoring the smooth and warm skin underneath her fingertips as she shifted her leg further up, pressing her knee against the brunette's center. The way the other woman squirmed under her dubious touches only made the blonde's ego grow.

Pale, slender fingers delved through thick and silk raven locks, tugging slightly at every touch given to the owner's. Regina had found the swell of one of Emma's breasts. The hand delicately squeezed the small globe as if she were afraid it would break. The blonde's response was eager, her back arching against the palm as a soft cry made its way from her lips.

"Regina," Emma whispered as she broke away for air. Her thigh had begun to grow cooler as the slick juices from Regina's heat started to dry, for the woman ceased movements upon discovering the younger girl's body.  
The teacher smirked, lips bright red and swollen. "Emma," she whispered, the hand on the teen's breast moved further south until it reached forbidden territory, her other soon finding the blonde's own hand to intertwine their fingers together.

Emma's breath hitched as she felt skilled fingers move across her sensitive lips, soon nuzzling between the folds, her hand squeezing the hand that Regina had given her. She jumped and let out a choked moan when the English teacher had found the sensitive bundle of nerves, and holy fuck, did that feel good. Yearning for more contact, she ground her hips against the hand and began to rock at a pace that Regina had set as she rubbed the girl's clit in tight circles.

"You're so  _wet_. I always like that about you, my pet." She purred into Emma's ear, her teeth gently teasing the lobe before she pulled those delicious lips away, only to trace the blonde's jaw with them.

Emma bucked her hips and cried, "only for you!" Her eyes squeezed tightly together and she swore she saw stars.

"Yes… right there…" she encouraged the now exploring fingers as they slipped up and down the length of her slit. Then, without further notice, two fingers slipped inside of her. " _Fuck_."

"Language… Ms. Swan… Unless you plan on doing exactly that to me." Regina growled tantalizingly into her ear, and holy fuck, did Emma come so hard against her hand, screaming her teacher's name into the desolate air. Her inner walls squeezed those fingers and her body shook with spasms as she stilled, the grip on the older woman's hand had tightened. The teacher, though, hadn't stopped her thrusts and helped the blonde ride out the orgasm until the spasms died altogether. And she lay there, panting like she had just run a marathon.

Having a sudden desire to see that gorgeous woman above her reach such heavenly heights, her own fingers began to find their way between their bodies to discover the brunette's own hot arousal.

"You know…" the blonde panted, her index finger lightly grazing over the older woman's damp, intimate curls. She could feel Regina softly squeeze her hand from the contact, which had her continue with her exploration.

"Hm?" The brunette hummed in pleasure, finally pulling her fingers from Emma. She brought them to her mouth and licked each one delicately, groaning softly both at the taste and feeling of the teen's exploring fingers.

"I've been wondering…" she shivered, her cheek tinted a deep shade of pink as she watched Regina. Was it possible to get horny so fast?

Regina shifted up so she could straddle Emma's stomach, which had ultimately allowed more access for the blonde's fingers, to where she had immediately thrust into her teacher.

"W-wondering what?" The brunette moaned her words, her eyes squeezed tight as she rolled her hips against the thrusting fingers.

"Do I suck at this?" Emma asked rather sheepishly, eyes drinking up the woman above her, marveling at how sexy she looked with pleasure on her visage and the way the sweat glistened on her bouncing breasts.

Then she smirked. That damn smirk. Hot chocolate eyes met with forest green and right then, her silent question was answered. "Of course you don't, dear. If I hadn't known you were previously were a virgin, I would have expected you to have lain with many women."

"Cool." Emma smirked, awkwardly shifting her thumb to press against Regina's clit, which ended in an ultimate success as the brunette mewled softly and bucked her hips.

"You fuck like a whore, but then again, so do I…" she growled, taking the blonde completely by surprise. Soon her lips were back on Emma's in a searing kiss. The rocking of her hips came quicker and more desperate as the fingers pumped harder and faster, urging her to come over the edge. "That's another thing I love about you."  
And it didn't take long, or much. All Emma did was whisper, "Come for me,  _whore_  …" before the teacher came undone in front of her. Her entire body stiffening in its place as wave after wave of pleasure shot through the brunette's body. Emma could feel the way her walls clamped around her fingers and the way they pulsated after she had started to come down from her high. Her hand had done something similar, although had a much tighter constriction to it. And, for the fiftieth time today,  _holy fuck._ She wondered if Regina had been fantasizing about this moment as well or not. Emma thought to tick that one on the roster of questions to ask later. Also, did that woman secretly weightlift? They often held hands when making love, but holy shit, did she have a strong grip on her this time.

Regina collapsed beside Emma, her chest rising and falling heavily, her thumb stroking the top of the blonde's hand. She turned her head and watched as Emma brought her fingers to her lips, her tongue coming out to taste the residue left over from the brunette's orgasm. She closed her eyes, enjoying the salty flavor and something that tasted like...  _apples?_  Regina will always be her favorite flavor.

"Remember our first time?" The brunette tossed onto her side, facing Emma, and stared at her with a quirked brow. "I was rather surprised with what you told me."

Then Emma nodded her head at the question. "Yeah, and that I've never been this far with someone before. I knew this chick once and I touched her boobs, but that was about it."

"Oh? I don't recollect hearing that." Regina smirked and scooted closer to the blonde teenager, her fingers lightly trailing across her jaw. Emma gazed at her, head slightly tilting into the touch, and the sight just made her heart melt. That woman was so stunning, even with mussed hair and sweat-slick skin.

"You're so beautiful."

"Haven't you already established that? And might I add, rather adamantly?" The brunette teased, bopping Emma's nose with her finger.

"That's why we're where we are, actually." Emma clarified, a grin on her face.

"Indeed, my love. It seems to happen quite often."

Emma stared at Regina now, who had been smiling as well, and it was so absent, she assumed the brunette didn't even know she was doing it. And now she was staring at her lips again. They were just so kissable.

"I'm hungry." Emma huffed softly and sat up, her eyes sliding over to the small, digital clock on the headboard.

"You always are afterwards," she heard as she read the clock, the time that it had displayed had the blonde stumbling out of bed, tripping over sheets and her teacher's naked limbs. "It's almost sixth period. We should get back."

"Pity," Regina said softly. Emma could feel those eyes boring into her skin, which ultimately froze her and made her turned around to note the small smirk on the brunette's face.  
"Is it?"

"Well, I mean, since we're here and... Mr. Glass will mark you present regardless…"

Emma's brows rose. "Ms. Mills! Are you condoning me to skip class to, dare I say…" then she whispered. " _... have fun_?"

Then that smirk spread across her lips once again, and holy shit, Emma was back on that bed in zero time, all traces of hunger and panic immediately gone.

"Yes." she finally said, leaning forward with one arm by the blonde's naked hip. And before the blonde knew it, the two of them were back on one another in a tangle of limbs, lips attached to skin and hands exploring familiar and aching territory.

After Emma had floated back down to the ground from her third climax, panting in Regina's arms, the two of them lay together with fingers lazily trailing patterns on each other's skin. The brunette had her arm wrapped around the blonde, hand resting on her bicep as the other held onto a pale hand resting on her rapidly rising and falling abdomen.

"Answer me this," Regina's mouth was mere inches away from Emma's ear as she spoke, and the blonde could feel the teacher's warm breath against her skin.

"What is it?" Emma purred.

"Why me? Why… I'm  _twenty_  years older than you, Emma. Why haven't you gone for someone your own age instead of trailing after someone so many years senior?" Regina looked genuinely confused. Why was she asking this again? Hadn't they clarified it, or was she having doubts?

When Emma looked into her dark eyes, she could see a hint of fear and that made her heart sink. She was sure the brunette figured this was just some lustful, desire-driven action that the blonde had decided to take. Hell, Emma even thought it was exactly that months ago. But it was something far different because she felt like she just wanted so much  _more_.

"Because… I like you. I-I love you. I mean, I must admit that I liked your appearance at first. But after I started having lunches with you, actually after that first day that I stayed behind, I got to know your personality. I got to know a little more about you and I wasn't so threatened. I started to like you and develop some genuine feelings for you. Then we did more and, I don't know, I just found myself falling and quite fast." she answered honestly, her cheeks burning a rosy shade of pink. "Age doesn't really matter to me. I mean, I guess that it's kind of weird that you're so much older than me, but it doesn't matter. If you were eighty and crippled, I'd be there to take care of you and… It just doesn't matter. You know? Love knows no boundaries. And I'm eighteen now, so it's pretty legal."

"Legality has nothing to do with it." Regina murmured softly. "I feel… selfish because you are so young. It is far stranger for me than it is for you. Of course, you won't necessarily be getting looks that are saying 'how loaded is she to get such a hot, young woman on her arm?'"

"Well, honestly, it would be love." Emma shrugged. "How I felt then, how I feel now."

And leave Regina to question her.

"Love? Is that what you had felt?"

"I don't know. I just liked you, like, a lot." She nibbled her lower lip after she finished, because yeah, she really didn't really know her exact feelings back then for her teacher. She really liked the woman and it was so hard to express exactly how she felt. Emma just wasn't prepared to dig into those feelings. She was scared of them because she knew what love could do to a person and this relationship was quite risky enough with her being a student and Regina being a teacher.

But after their relationship had blossomed, and they had advanced, she was quite sure of her feelings and didn't feel so scared of them.

"I see…" Regina seemed to contemplate those words, her head slowly nodding as she accepted them.

"What did you feel?" The blonde tentatively asked.

Regina looked down immediately, eyes on the back of her hand that was still next to Emma's hip. "I'm not sure. I was quite conflicted with my emotions and I didn't know how I should feel. I really shouldn't be feeling anything for you. I-it's just not right. But… I do. I feel something, and it makes me feel so…  _light_."

Emma couldn't help but let a small smile upturn her pale lips. She leaned forward and confidently pressed her lips to Regina's. Those words were raw honesty and Emma appreciated that. She appreciated that this woman was just so honest with her, even when they had just started to talk.

"How long?" she asked after pulling away, leaving herself breathless, because,  _god_ , she could actually taste  _herself_  on Regina's lips. And that mixed with Regina's flavor was pure bliss.

"I'm not sure. It was probably a month and half into the school year… When you first opened up to me after staying for lunch. Because, right then, and I don't know why I'm saying this or thinking this, I knew that there was someone that cared about me. Someone that actually  _cared_  in a world where people didn't. Perhaps,  _then_ , I didn't have  _these_  exact feelings for you, but that was a turning point. The more we talked… the more you opened up and revealed such maturity...And there was  _that_  day with those boys. And despite however I may have scared you that day, you came back. You stayed."

"I stayed." Emma whispered. She just realized how serious this conversation had gotten. Regina was now insecurely huddled in her own bubble instead of fixing to give her another fuck.

She took the time and looked, really looked, at the brunette. It was then that she had noticed how small she looked, and not just because her heels were off and clothes gone. She was a lonely human being, and from what Emma could gather from what Regina had told her, she had been cast out most of her life and never had a genuine friend that stayed. The hope in her eyes now told her that Emma was the only light that she had seen in years in her dark, absent cave of a life, and it was scary because she was so much younger and she was the only one that could see it, or at least the only one that acted upon it.

People were selfish. That's what Emma thought as she scoot closer to the brunette's form and wrapped an arm around her, bringing the nude body close into an embrace. Fingers played with raven strands of hair, sliding through the mussed mess, trying to untangle what she had ruined in the first place.

Regina just collapsed into her arms and, right then and there, Emma knew she would have to hold this woman for the rest of her life. She didn't care what happened or who thought bitterly of their relationship, she would stick by the brunette's side. These were mighty words coming from such a young mind, but she held true to them. Perhaps it was quite early to think these thoughts. Emma didn't care. All she cared was to keep Regina happy and see her smile.

"And I always will." She finally whispered, voicing as much of her thoughts as she could into that simple sentence.

"You won't want me later on, because you'll soon realize what a mistake you've made for going after an older woman, but I don't care. I enjoy your company, dare I say." Regina's voice sounded younger than her years as she spoke. It killed Emma.

"Don't say that. I won't regret  _any_  of this.  _I_  am not everyone else.  _I_  am  _me_."

And that's all she had to say to soothe Regina's worries for now. She just snuggled close into the blonde's arms, her head nestling underneath Emma's chin while her arms wrapped tight around her waist.

Emma's eyes closed, her fingers still smoothing through Regina's hair. They sat in this position for a silent few minutes, the blonde's hand roaming over soft, olive flesh as Regina's fingers skittered over Emma's porcelain back, grazing ever so lightly over the angry scratches on her back- a result from a few nights ago when Emma had surprised Regina with a new twist in her methods. Least to say, blood had been spilt and the brunette was noticeably exhausted the next day in school with a sated smile on her lips and a satisfied sparkle in her eyes.

The two had remained with gentle hands exploring soft flesh and fingers curling in locks of hair for what seemed like a relaxed lifetime until they had both jumped to remember that they needed to return to school. They had stayed gone too long, and they were going to get into trouble if they hadn't returned before the final hour.

"We need to go." Regina mumbled against Emma's pale skin. "I have a class to teach seventh. You have to go to art class."

"Yeah…" Emma reluctantly pulled away from the embrace and stood. She quickly donned her clothes once again before running a brush through her tangled curls. Offering the brush to Regina, she ran downstairs to gather their belongings, only to spot their uneaten lunch on the table.

"We forgot about lunch." She heard Regina say behind her. "Shame. I was looking forward to today's surprise."

"Me too. She usually stuffs a note in the bottom of the bag." Emma ended up muttering, picking the food bag up.

Then Regina blinked and looked at her. "She does?"

"Yeah." Emma blushed. "I mistakenly told Belle that I had a crush on you on the first day and, of course, she told Ruby. That's why I so happen to have an extra grilled cheese on the first day. She said something about my girlfriend being hungry and wanting the extra one." And then her cheeks were aflame as well as the pink creeping up her neck.

"Girlfriend, huh?"

"They were just messing around."

"It's no longer a joke, now, is it?" Regina purred, her voice dropping a few octaves into a sexy growl.

"I-I suppose not…" Emma blushed and quickly handed Regina her purse. "Here… We should go. It's less than ten minutes until seventh starts."

The brunette teacher nodded and smirked, taking the bag before turning towards the door. Emma soon followed behind with her backpack slung over one shoulder and a smile spread across her lips.

* * *

"Where the hell were you sixth?" Belle immediately asked upon seeing Emma in the hallway on the way to art class.

Emma blushed as the memories came back to her. She knew exactly where she was and what she had been doing, but she couldn't tell that to Belle. Especially if she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "With Ms. Mills. Lost track of time again." It wasn't a complete lie. It just wasn't the entire truth.

"Uh huh." The brunette quirked a brow.

Emma just shrugged and pulled the door open to the art room, then trudged over to her regular spot. She looked up as Belle just stared incredulously at her.

"What?"

"I thoughts you said Ms. Mills wasn't going to allow you to stay that long."

"Like I said, we lost track of time." Emma shrugged, now unable to keep focus on her friend. Everything else just seemed so interesting all of a sudden.

Belle took the spot next to Emma, laying down their supplies across the table. It didn't take long for her to notice the way the blonde avoided any visual contact. "You smell different."

"What?"

It felt like Emma just ran into a cement wall.  
Fuck.

"Yeah. Usually you smell like apples or, well, nothing. But you smell kind of spicy, like some expensive kind of perfume. And something else…" Belle nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and, fucking hell, Emma knew exactly what she was doing.

"You're not getting anything out of me." she warned, pointing her pencil at Belle, who tried to feign her innocence.

"I'm not doing anything. You're giving yourself away, Em."

"No I'm not."

"You're acting guilty. Almost… shameful."

"No. No, I'm not."

"Yes you are." Belle then smirked. "Did the walk of shame from her classroom, did we?"

"No. No walk of shame. No shame at all."

"So you do admit it."

"What? I admit nothing! We hugged, maybe. That's it."  
Emma should just shut up, but she couldn't help but to argue with the brunette. Fuck, she had to keep quiet. She couldn't let anyone know.

"God, Em! I'm just teasing you!" The brunette let out a guffaw and shook her head. "You should see the look on your face! It's so hilarious!"

"Shut up, Belle!" She ground her jaw, arms crossing tightly over her chest.

"Fine." She just shrugged and played with a pencil in front of her while the teacher gave instructions on what they were supposed to do next. Something to do with 3D-ing stuff, but Emma wasn't really paying any attention.

"Hey, Em. Wasn't Graham coming down here for the weekend?" Belle finally broke the silence between them. All tension immediately gone at the mention of their male friend.

"Oh, yeah! I think it was supposed to be after midnight, though. He didn't want to interrupt us from our dance… Although I sort of wish he would. What the hell are we supposed to be doing, anyways?"

"Hang out and stuff. We might have a sleepover at Ruby's. Well, at the Bed and Breakfast. Either Graham is going to rent a room or Rubes is gonna convince her granny to let us stay in one for the night." Belle shrugged. "You in?"

"Totally!" Emma nodded enthusiastically. She hadn't seen Graham since the beginning of the year and she was excited about hanging out with him again. Of course, she just wanted to sit back and chill at her house playing on the game station like they usually did, but there was limited time and she was sure her other friends wanted to spend time with him as well.

Emma spent the rest of the period buzzing with excitement. It wasn't long until the final bell had rang and she and Belle were out of there and into the hallway. Earlier that week, Mary Margaret had volunteered to do the girls' hair and makeup. She looked so excited and anxious to do it that Emma didn't want to reject her kind offer. Anyways, she would have a hell of a time doing it herself and if it were her own choice, she'd probably end up going to the dance with her hair down and mussed, without any makeup on.

Belle hadn't minded at all, either, in fact, she was rather pleased to get her hair and makeup done by someone else. She said she wanted to look her best tonight and couldn't afford to look like someone threw a Crayola box at her face and used a bad perm kit on her hair.

Emma had laughed at her because her date was supposed to be Ruby. She didn't exactly understand why Belle wanted so much to impress her when the two were friends. But, then again, the blonde didn't pry in others' lives like they did. She suspected something was up between the two, but had never gave her suspicions away.

As the two headed down the hallway, Emma let her thoughts veer away from the possible fair between her two best friends. Graham was coming down tonight. Luckily, it wasn't until way later, so she should be able to have enough time to sneak away with Regina and dance with her like she had promised. Perhaps they'd even have a little time to do something more. Or they could just talk.

Oh, god, was she as anxious as hell to see Regina tonight. She said she'd be wearing something special for her. Emma immediately jumped to the conclusion that it would be a sexy, leather number, but then she remembered that the brunette would be chaperoning the dance. So it would be something appropriate, but who said that it still didn't have to be sexy? That woman was sex on a goddamn stick. What the hell was Emma talking about? No matter what she wore, looked like, or what have you, she was the most gorgeous woman Emma had ever laid eyes on and would, no doubt, still be sexy as hell.

Regina was especially sexy when she was wearing absolutely nothing at all. Well, except for that smirk on her face that always teased Emma when she would be just far enough out of reach.

_You have to have patience, dear. It is virtue._

She always said that, just before the blonde would pounce on her and take the brunette wherever they were standing. Sometimes they would end up having a quickie in the kitchen on the pristine granite counters. At other times, they would end up on the couch in a hot, make-out session that would soon turn into a round of lovemaking that sometimes brought them upstairs to Regina's bedroom. There was also the rare occasion when they would start out downstairs, but become too hot and heavy as they desperately tried to climb the stairs to the bed and end up having sex against whatever wall they're against at the time of absolute desperation.

"Hey, Swan! You ready for tonight?" Killian's voice interrupted the blonde's voracious thoughts.

Emma blushed, trying to force the dirty thoughts from her mind. Of course it was like him to intervene when she was most taken by her thoughts at the most inopportune- and frustrating- of times. But, perhaps it was for the better. She  _was_  getting rather hot and bothered by the brunette teacher's image, embedded into her brain. She would never forget that woman's perfect and flawless olive skin, nor those deep, brown eyes... or that perfect, pearly smile with that delicious, plump mouth and that sexy scar on the right part of her upper lip… or that  _tongue_. That talented, talented tongue that had given her so many wonderful climaxes.

Holy shit, was Regina mesmerizing? She was gorgeous as hell and super distracting- Emma had found out the hard way. Sure, she was distracting just to look at- with her dazzling beauty- but she was also rather distracting when she want' in the same vicinity. Every thought that Emma had of that woman had ripped her attention away from whatever the hell was being taught in what class she had at the time.  
And she was unintentionally distracting Emma once again- for the blonde could hear Killian call her name in what seemed like a far off land. She was really out of it.  
"What did you say?" The blonde inquired, emerald eyes lifting up to meet with blue. "I said, are you ready for tonight?" He enunciated, his tone sharper than before.  
"Oh, yeah. Totally. I've got my dress and everything all planned out-"

"Wasn't it the short, black number that Ruby gave you a couple weeks ago?" Then, as if by magic, his entire visage had fallen away to naught but a smile.

"Yeah…" Emma gave him a look of skepticism.

"Awesome. I know what to get you. So, I should be off." Killian flashed a handsome smile that the blonde had tried to return. "So, pick you up at eight?"  
"The dance starts at six-thirty or seven." She quirked a snarky brow. Definitely something she inherited from the brunette teacher and her never ending sass.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll pick you up at seven-thirty So… be ready, because I'm a loaded gun." And with that, he whipped around and waltzed off, leaving Emma to roll her eyes.

"Well, if he isn't a raging ball of hormonal youth, I don't know what is." Belle finally murmured from beside her friend.

Emma grunted and started to head towards the main entrance, weaving and maneuvering through the students who had still crowded the hallways. The two of them stopped short as Emma ceased her movements, eyes wide when they met with familiar, melted chocolate ones. All memories of earlier that afternoon had suddenly flooded her mind and Emma found herself drowned in olive toned sex.

"Re- Ms. Mills! Wh-what is-"

"You left this in my room, dear." The older woman walked the distance between them, arm extended with a red, leather jacket attached at the end. Emma could just  _feel_  the immediate sexual tension from earlier occupy the air surrounding them.

Belle looked rather awkward in her position beside Emma. It was a good thing that she didn't know what was going on between them, because the blonde was quite sure that she would jump to conclusions, or at least feel even more awkward than she was, because she might just assume that the jacket wasn't exactly in Regina's classroom, but her actual room instead, and Emma could say it just might not be a lie.

Because Emma  _had_  left her jacket in Regina's bedroom last night in haste to get ready to leave. And the brunette had at least mentioned it during lunch, she thought, or some other time beforehand, but the two had left for Emma's apartment and hadn't returned to the room afterwards. Of course, it would be a wise thing to give Emma her jacket after school as she would be walking out of the building.

Or would it?  
Regina  _could_  have given it to Emma later that night, or even some other time over the weekend. Hell, Emma wouldn't mind receiving her jacket with Regina wearing it… and nothing else.

_Oh, fuck. Oh, shit. Don't do this to me, brain._

Emma could literally  _feel_  the blush burning her cheeks florid.

"Thanks, Ms. Mills." Emma received the piece of leather from the English teacher and shrugged it on.

It smelled of Regina, and it was the most beautiful thing.

"You're welcome, Emma." Her voice was a perfect melody, and the way that she had said Emma's name made it sound like the sweetest love song.  
She was naught but a sap when around Regina, but she knew how to maintain most of it and keep her composure, especially when they were out in public- and more specifically- school.

"Thanks. Again, I mean."

"Because, knowing Emma, she would probably die without that thing." Belle managed to joke, making herself known, as she gazed awkwardly between the two.

Emma giggled to save her and Regina soon joined in, and oh, wasn't it just the most musical thing?  
"Oh, I'm quite sure that she's fond of this… fine jacket. I see that she tends to wear it often." The brunette spoke through her giggles.

"She really does."

"Shut it, will you?" Emma grumbled, cutting her friend off before she could express the next thought on her mind.

"Sorry."  
"I should let you girls off. I am quite sure that you're anxious for the upcoming weekend and tonight's winter formal?" Ms. Mills addressed with a pleasant smile on her lips.  
"Yeah. I heard you were gonna chaperone?" The blonde smirked. She had convinced the brunette earlier on in the week to go to the dance. They could sneak out at some point to have a dance of their own. But the only problem was, was that she hadn't mentioned anything regarding Killian. Hopefully she wouldn't overreact or get angry over it. Regina was Emma's only interest after all, just hopefully the brunette knew that.

"Yes, actually. It was a last minute thing, especially after Ms. Boyd had gotten ill and could not attend." The brunette had the faintest of grins on her face- one that of a certain joy that Emma had sparked upon making that offer. The damned woman could stop grinning like an absolute idiot after her skepticism had fallen away and the blonde's plan was revealed. It took a lot of convincing for her teacher to finally agree to do such a thing. Emma mostly bribed her with kisses, which had landed them in bed for another steamy session of lovemaking. That was enough to turn Regina into putty and break.

Emma could feel the teacher was excited for later that night, because the blonde had promised her a private dance- one that Regina had never gotten when she was younger. Although, the teenager could only wish that they were able to dance together in the gymnasium like everyone else. But the thing was, they weren't like everyone else, and Regina would surely lose her job if they were to slip and do such a thing in front of hundreds, with faculty and staff members amongst them that would surely gossip of their forbidden dance.

Fuck, did she wish they weren't like this.

"Huh, so I suppose I'll see you later?"  
"Indeed." Regina nodded, then turned her attention to the long-haired brunette standing meekly next to the blonde. "Will you be going, as well, Ms. French?"

"Yes, I will." Belle nodded.

"With anyone special?"

"Not really." She muttered. "Ruby said she would go with me."

"Oh, really?" Regina's eyes only slightly widened as she tilted her head, observing the small brunette.

"Yeah…" Belle fiddled with the lace on her yellow top while her bottom lip disappeared into her mouth. "I-"

"We should probably get going. We still have to get ready and I know my foster mother has plans to spruce me up." Emma cut in, sensing the sudden mortification radiating off her friend from Regina's question.

"Indeed you must. I shall see you both later." The teacher offered the two a polite smile, her eyes, though, lingered on the blonde for several heart beats longer than what would be considered safe.

Emma could feel the pleasant shivers sent from the older woman's stare run down her spine and hit every nerve in her body. She was thankful that she had opted to wear her hooded sweatshirt today-as well as the red leather jacket- because she was pretty damn sure her skin prickled with goose bumps, and it was nowhere near cold enough in this building for that as a liable excuse.

"Yeah, see you." Emma said softly, taking Belle by obvious surprise. The brunette knew that she rarely ever talked so politely, so… modest, to anyone- especially a teacher.

Regina nodded and leaned slightly forward, as if she were about to speak. Emma knew what words had been caught on the brunette teacher's tongue- she could see it in her eyes.

But she couldn't express the sparkle- the emotion- there. At least not here, anyways.

"Have a good weekend, girls." She said instead, turning around to saunter down the hallway where she had soon been engulfed in the sea of students.  
"That was weird." Belle immediately muttered her thoughts after the English teacher's departure.

"Yeah, it was." Emma merely shrugged and headed off, once again, towards the exit.

"I mean… Do you still like her?" The brunette inquired, trying her best to keep up with the hastily walking Emma.

"She's become something of a friend through our lunches." The blonde pushed her way through the thinning crowd.

"What do you mean?"  
"I talk to her. She talks to me. Sometimes its personal, but most often, it is nonsense."

"Nonsense."

"Can you stop being nosy?" Emma suddenly stopped and arched a brow at her friend who, in return, halted and donned the visage resembling that of a kicked puppy.

"I-I'm sorry-"

"No, don't be.  _I'm_  sorry. I shouldn't have-… it's just that, you know, some things are private and I don't want to blab about stuff. I spoke too much the first time and I know I shouldn't have." Emma sighed and gave Belle a quick hug before slowly proceeding to walk.

"But, I guess, I'd also have to thank you for pushing. If not, I wouldn't have really tested the waters of having lunch with her and we wouldn't be where we are today."

And that was true, because if not for Belle telling Ruby of her crush and Ruby not pressing for her to eat lunc9 with the courtesy of her meals- with Ms. Mills, the two of them wouldn't be where they are in their relationship.

They went from teacher-student acquaintances to lovers. The thought of never reaching this point sent Emma's heart sinking. She didn't like the thought of losing Regina and all of the wonderful feelings she made her experience. She loved that goddamn woman, believe it or not, and she wasn't about to imagine a world without her so quickly. The thought was a depressing one.

"I'm sorry. I should have known better and…"

"Eh, don't worry about it. You helped me, believe it or not." She shrugged it off and turned down her street.

"I did."

"Yeah."

"Okay. Cool." Belle smiled, making her words short, but Emma could see the burning question in her eyes. She must have decided not to pry, especially since the blonde had left it so vague.

The two of them had quickly made their way into Emma's apartment, of course, being immediately greeted by Mary Margaret. She wore a wide smile on her face and held two dressed in her hands. Looking behind her, Emma knew just what was there- the makeup kits.

"You girls ready?"

"As long as we have some good tunes." Emma smirked and made her way over to her foster mother, dropping the messenger bag onto the floor as she shed both jackets.

"Depends on what, dear. We have to make a unanimous decision." Mary Margaret quirked a brow at Emma's bag before gesturing to a free kitchen chair for Belle to take. The brunette did just that as the blonde pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Only because you hate it when I listen to the majority of my playlist. Admit it, Mary Margaret, you hate rock."

"I do not. I simply do not like profanity in some of the music you listen to." She replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well… Cher it is." Emma shuffled through the music on her phone and chose a song. The beat of it filled the silence and had the newly pumped Emma slightly moving to it.

"Awesome, right?"

"One of her new ones?"

'Yeah. And no profanity, so don't worry." The blonde gave her foster mother a wry look.

"Oh, sit you down and let me do your makeup."

"It was just a little joke." Emma feigned a pout as she took the spot next to Belle. She leaned towards her and whispered: "Sorry 'bout my foster mother."

Belle giggled a response. "It's alright. Your bickering is rather entertaining."

"Better than cable?"

"Definitely."

"I can make you girls look like clowns if I want. Need I remind you of who exactly is doing your makeup." Mary Margaret was quick to interrupt Belle's next thoughts. She had quickly donned the same quickly visage that she had earlier.

"Sorry, Mrs. Nolan."

"It's quite alright, Belle." The pixie-haired brunette gave her a reassuring smile, but the same had not been given to Emma when she had turned her attention to the blonde. "Now you on the other hand, young lady…"

"Sorry," Emma let her head drop to stare at the twiddling thumbs on her lap.

But the only response to that was a giggle that had the blonde very nearly flinching. Of course, this laughter was genuine and happy, unlike the cold, cruel cackles that she had received from previous foster parents. She always had a hard time apologizing just because of that. Every time that she even had remotely tried, she always had gotten it thrown back in her face.

They would laugh at her and say that an apology was not enough for whatever small misguidance that she had. That would be before they either punished her with abusive hands or sat her in solitude.

But, Emma had to remind herself, Mary Margaret and David weren't like them. They weren't cruel, nor were they vicious. They were kind, loving, and  _warm_. Whatever faulty thing that the blonde may have done, their worse punishment was always a stern talk and perhaps the confiscation of her cellphone for the rest of the day. The blonde could only wonder what the two of them would do if she were to do something far worse that would ultimately push them past their limit. Hopefully, she would never have to find out.

"It's alright, sweetheart." The elementary schoolteacher lay a hand on Emma's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"Okay." The blonde bit her lip, her cellphone held in a tight grip.

"Who wants to go first?"

"Ruby and I wanted to eat at the diner before we went."

"And Killian's picking me up at seven-thirty, so she can go first." Emma shrugged and played with her phone. "I can wait."

"Alrighty, then. Belle, if you could close your eyes for a moment." Mary Margaret instructed, her voice fading as Emma paid attention to her phone's small screen.

She wondered what Regina was doing right now. Was she still at school? Was she home? Was she getting ready for the formal?

_Hey, Gina. What's up?_

The reply was almost immediate, which had the blonde by surprise.

**_Getting ready. Figured to get it done._ **

_How far are you?_

The reply this time wasn't so quickly sent. Emma sat at the kitchen table with a bored look, watching as her foster mother buzzed around Belle with a small cosmetic brush.

The blonde sighed softly and slumped in her seat. It was a simple question. Why wasn't she respon-

Her phone buzzed with a new message. When the blonde had checked her status bar on the phone, she had noticed the regular preview had been blank. Blinking slightly, Emma clicked the message and was soon greeted with an image of a mini Regina.

And a very graphic photo of this little Regina inside her phone. The brunette wore nothing but a smile- no, a smirk- and a few scraps of lacy material covering her intimate bits.

Now  _that_  was a dangerous photo. Emma bit her lip, mouth salivating as she had continued to stare at perfect, sun-kissed skin. Regina probably shouldn't have sent such a racy photo to the blonde's phone. If anyone ever got a hold of it and flipped through her messages…

She'd have to delete the message. Or wipe the whole thing. Although, perhaps she could somehow save the image and transfer it to a safe device? Later.

"What's got you smiling?" Mary Margaret's voice had caused the blonde to nearly fall out of her seat. That phone's screen was black within seconds and stuffed into her pocket before her foster mother could even take another breath.

"Uh… I-I was just reading about a new episode of my favorite show. It'll be on Sunday night." Emma quickly explained, urging the blush to keep away from her cheeks.

"I voted on porn." Belle was quick to interrupt Mary Margaret as she had begun to speak. "The way you stuck that thing in your pocket so fast like it was on fire. I mean, wow, Em."

_Oh, it was more close to porn than you think, my dear Belle._

"Well, it wasn't. Mary Margaret just scared the shit out of me."

"Language, Emma!" The woman in discussion reprimanded with a stern look, nearly burning the flesh from Emma's guilty face.

"Sorry, I was just saying-"

"You can say it with less profane language, young lady."

"Fu-Je-Chri-Crap! Alright. Shi-Sheesh." Emma slumped back against the kitchen chair. Her back was already creaming, just sitting here. It hadn't even been all that long and all she felt like doing was spouting spiteful language. She didn't have a filter and, god, did she find out the hard way. She just had to be especially careful with what would spill out of her mouth. She grew ip around crass language and her ears were never spared from such crude things.

That's what Mary Margaret didn't understand, unfortunately. It was hard to change an old habit. And, frankly, Emma didn't want to kill her habit. It was a nice one to have, even though her mouth was naught but a potty and could get her into some serious trouble.

"I do not want to hear that kind of language from you again. Okay?"

"No promises. They just slip out, you know?" The blonde shrugged and pulled out her phone to wake it up after the device had gone off again. Must have been Regina, no doubt asking why she hadn't replied. "But I'll try my best."

"Oh, Emma. What am I going to do with you?" Mary Margaret let out a dramatic sigh0 or so Emma thought0 and went back to her station, fixing Belle's hair up.

The blonde withdrew her attention once again and gazed down at the small screen to see the new message that had, in fact, been sent by Regina. It was another picture. This time she was fully clothed in a delicious black number that plunged at the neckline to give a generous amount of cleavage- although an appropriate amount for school- and stopped short of her knees, where her legs were covered by the thin material of pantyhose, and her feet bound in black pumps. She had completed her outfit with a bun in her hair, albeit a few pieces of raven framed her face. She still wore the same makeup from earlier, although touched up, with crimson lipstick and smoky eyes.

She looked absolutely breathtaking- and that was just the picture. Emma could only imagine how stunning she would be in person. The blonde could already smell her spicy perfume- the one that she had become so accompanied with throughout her time spent with the English teacher. Regina's perfume was her favorite scent, and that was for a fact. Whatever else she had claimed for that position could just fuck off.

_Wow. You look so amazing, Gina. Can't wait until I see you._

"It's going to be your turn, soon!" Mary Margaret smiled at her daughter as she continued to stylize Belle's hair.

"It's very relaxing." Belle looked over to Emma, a smile on her face. "Of course, that's just me."

"No, I know. I enjoy it when people touch my hair. Well… When I want them to." The blonde shrugged and sat her phone down next to her on the table as she retrieved a makeup case. Since she'd be wearing that black dress, she figured that she should choose a greyscale pallet, which it seemed that Mary Margaret had few within that color range. Or at least, on this pallet, anyways. That woman have every color imaginable. Well, at least, she had a designated pallet of colors for each outfit and then some. It came in handy when there was a difficult outfit to paint your face for. Emma had a few conflicts in the past with this, but Mary Margaret always seemed to pull through and give the blonde  _the_  perfect look.

"Why don't you go put that dress on while I get a start on Emma?"

The blonde looked up at the mention of her name just in time to see Belle nod and stand up from her seat. She grabbed the lavender gown that Mary Margaret had handed her and headed towards the bathroom.

"Now, it's your turn." The sort-haired brunette made her way over to Emma, a brush in hand. "I'll do you hair first to get it out of the way. I don't want to accidentally color your hair."

"Alright." Emma nodded at her foster mother's words and gathered her phone up after it had buzzed with a new message once again.

"You can't have that thing while I'm doing your makeup." Mary Margaret put a fist on her hop.

"Yeah, I know. I'll be done after this." She muttered, trying to read the text on her screen with a smile. Her foster mother had gotten close to her now, she could feel it, and the brush tangling in her blonde curls proved her proximity.

Emma sucked her lower lip into her mouth and kept her phone close to her. She couldn't risk Mary Margaret seeing the picture that was still showing. Her message and the one that Regina had sent-excluding the second photo- had the nearly nude one gone. Which, at least, was luck enough.

"Are you texting someone?" The brunette asked as she had brushed tangles from Emma's blonde mane.

"Yeah. Still haven't got to read it, yet."

"You should do that. I'm not stopping you."

Emma nodded and chuckled softly. She had been so worried about Mary Margaret seeing Regina's picture that she hadn't read the last message yet ad the pixie-haired woman could very well see her screen.

_Idiot._

So, she did just that and read the message. Might as well hurry so the risk wasn't so high.

**_Why, thank you, dear. I simply cannot wait, either. Why don't you let me pick you up?_ **

"Oh, shit." Emma couldn't help but to mutter.

"What is it, dear?"

"Uh, nothing. I just, it's just this message. It's dine." The blonde shrugged and quickly started to type in a response.

_Can't. MM's doing my hair and makeup right now._

She hit send and bit her lip. She should probably tell her about Killian, as well. The excuse that she had made up wouldn't entirely suffice, because the brunette could still very well offer to pick her up afterwards. And, Regina would be at the dance, after all. She would see Killian with her…

_And I'm getting picked up. Killian asked me to the dance and I felt bad if I were to reject him. It's not like anything's going to happen. I love YOU, and nobody else. (family and friends excluded)._

"Your hair is so beautiful. I wish mine was like that sometimes, but your mom did such a wonderful job with mine." Belle's accent echoed from behind Emma, who had rolled her eyes.

"My hair's a beast. It hates me half the time."

"That's why you tame it."

"I've tamed enough beasts in my life." Emma nonchalantly shrugged and slumped once again in her chair, but Mary Margaret had told her to straighten up, in which she abided with a groan.

"Well, you've got more."

"No."  
Belle huffed and stuck her tongue out at the blonde. "Do I look stupid?"

"Yes."

"You look beautiful, dear." Mary Margaret smiled.

"With tongue and all?"

Emma snorted. "Oh, I'm sure Ruby would like that."

"Emma Swan!"

"We're just friends." Belle's face had developed a florid color at the statement and she fidgeted in her spot as if she told a lie.

"Sorry. Just making a joke." The blonde gave her friend a skeptical quirk of the brow.

"Just… shut up."

"Hey, you look pretty, Belle. Beautiful. Ruby will agree, I'm sure. Just don't yell at me again." Belle have her a wry smile.

"Answer your phone." She muttered and sat in the chair next to Emma.

"Shit. It went off?" The blonde quickly looked down at her phone to not that, sure enough, there was a new message from Regina. Her stomach did flips. What was she going to say about that?

**_Oh, I see… I suppose that is alright as long as you keep your promise to dance with me, my love. My eyes will be on you all night, knowing that you are mine. I will not let him take that away from me. Remember, that, Emma. Remember that I love you, too._ **

"Who are you talking to?" Belle's voice had interrupted the momentary trance that she had been in upon reading the sweet message from the high school teacher.

"What?"

"You're smiling like an idiot again." She chuckled and pointed at Emma's face, looking up at Mary Margaret who wore a humored grin.

"You are, Emma. Who is it?" The pixie-haired woman stopped her work and tilted her head to give the blonde a questioning arch of the brow. "Do you have a boyfriend, Emma?"

That had Emma giving her foster mother a double take. Always. She always pressured her to get a boyfriend for whatever inane reason she sought fit. Maybe Emma should have told her parents that she wasn't exactly attracted to the opposite sex. Perhaps, then, would Mary Margaret stop bothering her about getting a boyfriend.

"No, I can honestly say that I don't." Emma replied, the internal debate storming within her mind. She wanted so much to tell Mary Margaret right now. But who would she suspect Emma was dating?

Would she think Belle?

Although, she  _had_  told her that Killian were to pick her up later. And Belle would be leaving with Ruby quite soon as well.

Maybe she wouldn't go that route? Maybe she would think that Emma had finally been fed up with the boyfriend questions. But, Emma didn't know if she could even bring herself to utter those words to her. There was something in her gut, pulling her back. And she knew exactly what it was.

"Oh, then who it is?"

"No one. Nothing." Emma mumbled, hiding behind her phone as she hastily tried to reply back to Regina.

_I know, babe. I'll be keeping my eyes on you, too. But I gotta go right now. Everyone's hounding me on who I'm texting because I can't stop smiling like an idiot. See what you do to me, Regina? Fuck… Do I ever love you? Anyways, see you later, okay?_

"Oh, bull! You're totally talking to someone."

"So? It's my own personal business. I don't have to share." The blonde quickly slipped her phone into her pocket and say back against the chair.

"Why don't you do my makeup, please, so we'll be done with that? I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's making me feel uncomfortable and I do not wish to expose who I am currently talking to. Thank you."

"I'm sorry, honey…" Mary Margaret frowned and grabbed one of the makeup kits to get a start on her daughter's face.

"Calm down. I'm sorry, too. I guess I know what it's like to want privacy." Belle shrugged, her blush crawling up her neck like a rapidly burning fire whose flames lick up the trunk of a tree is what had given her away. Emma suspected she knew what her brunette friend was referring to, but opted not to bring it up.

"It's alright, guess.  _I'm_  sorry for overreacting like that. I just don't feel comfortable with telling you who I'm talking to. May one day, I will."

"Maybe one day?" The long-haired brunette squished her brows together as she leaned towards the blonde. "What if that day never comes."

"Oh, it will. Trust me. You'll know when I tell you." Emma met Belle's eyes and let a slow smirk spread across her pink lips.

"Close your eyes, please." Mary Margaret whispered. She had been listening to Emma, she was sure. Now she'll have the schoolteacher jumping down her throat with anxious questions about her new revelation.

Shit.

Emma gave an internal sigh and closed her eyes. Why were the people around here so goddamn nosy? Regina seemed to be the only one so far that hasn't bugged her with futile questions that only pried and made the blonde angrier than she had been before. She could probably lash out like she usually did, which ultimately never ended well for any party.  
That was another reason why she loved Regina so much. That woman was quite similar to herself, and knew exactly when to stop when, or if, things got too far.

Just the thought of the brunette had Emma's heart squeezing in her chest. She felt that familiar longing to be near Regina again and to just  _hold_  her. Unfortunately, it would be a while longer until she would be able to do just that. But that hadn't bothered her any. At least she would be able to see Regina tonight, which just the thought of it had sent her heart soaring.

Soon enough, after Emma had gotten lost in thought of Regina, Mary Margaret had finished up with the blonde's makeup. She also had soon witched to the black dress and found a pair of black leggings to wear underneath the short material, also donning her red leather jacket to cover up the exposed flesh on her upper half.

Belle had left about an hour after Mary Margaret had finished Emma's makeup, a smile on her face as she climbed into Ruby's car. Emma couldn't help but to wonder what exactly was going on between those two. The way that her friend had reacted upon the little joke about the waitress had really thrown the blonde off. Of course, it shouldn't have all too much since she had already suspected something months ago when the two had seemingly hung out nonstop. Whatever it may be- or may have been- Emma didn't mind one bit. In fact, she'd cheer their gay little asses on.

But, for now, she's got to get  _her_  gay little ass off to the dance. Killian had arrived only moments ago and was current waiting- while being berated with questions by Mary Margaret0 in the living room as Emma had slipped on her boots and jacket.

When she walked back downstairs to take off, Mary Margaret was holding a camera and wearing a large- if not devious- smile.

"Why don't you go stand next to Killian and I'll take a picture?"

"Okay…" Emma grumbled, doing just that. Really, she shouldn't be taking a picture like this with  _him_. It should be Regina standing beside her. Maybe she could convince the brunette to take a picture with her later.

"Smile!"  
The smile on Emma's face couldn't be any more fake. Unfortunately, Killian looked just as happy as he could be. That stuck a needle into Emma's heart. She felt rather bad for leading him on like this, and for as long as it had been. She should have told him when they first met- or at least when he first started to show interest in her.

She  _will_  have to tell him. Tonight. After they had a dance or two or whatever the hell goes down at these things. She tended to avoid social and school events. They bored her and there were usually far too many people for her liking.

"And we're off. Thanks mom." Emma gave Mary Margaret a soft smile before rushing to the door. The faster she's out of here, the sooner she'll be able to see Regina.

On their way there, she could just feel the guilt eating away at her. The happily chatting teenage boy next to her was completely clueless to her agenda and everything else about her.

_I should probably tell him before I run off with Regina…_

That would be the best route. Or perhaps a bit before. Tonight would be the inevitable, regardless. He probably wouldn't want to talk to her ever again, anyways.

"How are you?" Killian interrupted Emma's thoughts and pried emerald eyes away from the sidewalk ahead of them.

"Good," she answered. "You?"

"Just good? Aren't you excited to go to the dance?"

"Not really. It's not my thing."

"Then where'd you get the dress?" He stopped in his tracks and pointed to the little black number that Ruby had gifted her for her birthday.

"Ruby." She shrugged and continued to walk, forcing the brunette boy to follow. "Birthday, remember? She already planned out my demise. And I told you earlier about this."

"Oh, yes.  _That_." Killian chuckled. "I couldn't picture you in a dress. Especially that one."

"Oh, hardy har har."

"No offense, Swan, but you aren't all that girly." He playfully bumped her side, whispering something that froze her.

The statement was absolutely true, she had never been one for dresses, although she could pull them all off rather well. But what he had whispered after bumping into her had the blonde at a stand-still.

"You gay or something?"

"It was meant as a joke, but I suppose you can't take one." He crossed his arms and stood in front of her, a bushy brow arched curiously.

"Yes."

"Yes? You can't take a joke?"

"No."

"No, what? You can or you can't?"

"Neither. I mean yes. No, I mean no. I can take a joke, but… Fuck, you're causing me a migraine." Emma wiped her hands down her face and started towards the school again at a slow pace.

"Then what are you talking about? You're pretty, but you're confusing as hell."

"That earlier statement."

"What? That you don't seem to be a dress girl or that you aren't girly?" Killian took the few steps to catch up with the blonde, his face crinkling with confusion when she had shook her head with a negative reply.

"Then what? That joke about you being…"

"Yes…" Emma finally sighed, her eyes focused on the students gathered outside the high school, chattering away.

"So you're… Then why did you let me take you to the dance? Or are you just pulling my leg?" The two of them finally had entered the building and very slowly made their way down the hallway as Emma explained.

"No, I'm not joking. I didn't… really want to make you feel bad if I rejected you for no reason. I just... I don't like telling people. There are too many that would judge." The blonde stopped by the gymnasium's door and leaned against it, looking into his light eyes. "My foster parents don't even know."

"All this time…"

"Yeah. I was just humoring you."

"You're a bitch." The smile on his face was the only think that had told Emma that he was joking. "You'll owe me a dance for this. Make that two, actually."

"Fine. Deal." Emma shrugged and helped open the door to the gym. Loud music immediately blared through their ears. "Get your ass I there if you wanna dance, 'cause I am not doing this again."

"I know when to accept an invitation." He chuckled, surging forward into the room, rushing passed the clusters of students dancing to the obnoxious music.

"Also, I'm going to be running off…" Emma had started to explain, but her eyes caught sight of a brunette standing on the other side of the room, talking with a group of teachers, all of which had little plastic cups of punch in their hands.

 _Regina_.

She looked even more stunning than in that picture that she had sent. Now all was left was to see what she looked like without that dress on. The image of the woman wearing nothing but the lacy undergarments had flitted through Emma's mind and now all she could picture was Regina wearing just that.

"Swan? Are you alright?" Killian quirked a brow and stood in front of the blonde, waving a hand in front of her face. When she blinked and shook her head, trying to snap back to reality, she could see his gaze drift from her to the group of teachers.

"Who are you checking out over there?"

"No one." Emma quickly denied. "Come on. Let's dance."

"No, seriously. What's over there?"

"Nothing."

He was still looking over there by the time Regina had broken contact from the crowd and gazed across the room to lock eyes with Emma, a smile breaking out across her face. Then those whisky eyes moved to Killian and quickly averted towards the teachers once again.

"Ms. Mills?"

"What?"

"Do you fancy her?"

"I'm not telling you anything." The blonde shrugged and backed away to head towards the middle of the gym where the students were dancing. Killian followed behind her with his question in the air around him.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because." Emma tapped her foot to the beat of the music. "Just dance, dude. You wanted to and if you wait too long, I'll just walk away."

"Fine."  
"How the hell are we supposed to dance to this, anyways?" Emma watched as he shrugged across from her and stood there, his own foot tapping in time with the blonde's.

"I don't know, but I think this song's almost over. Everyone's slowing-"

"TIME FOR SLOW-DANCING." Emma could hear a man's voice booming through a microphone. The upbeat music had suddenly halted and was soon replaced with a slow-moving song. Most of the students left the 'stage' while couples remained, and a few others joined.

The blonde stared with incredulous eyes at Killian who wore that same, wicked smile on his face and twinkle in his eyes. He was all too happy for this, while Emma wished she could just shoot herself. She wasn't much for dancing or contact with others, and with this, she had to do both. With  _him_.

She had to admit, he was a rather nice and sweet guy, but he was also what Belle had described him as earlier: a hormonal ball of youth. He was flirty as hell and, despite what Emma had told him earlier, he seemed to be rather anxious to get his hands on her. And so he had, placing one hand on her back and the other on her hip. Emma, on the other hand, had placed both hands on his shoulders, trying her best not to touch him  _too_  much, if that were possible.

"Why couldn't we just wait until a different song came up?" Emma muttered, having to force herself closer to mutter the words into his ear.

"Because you owe me a dance. And I don't want to wait. You said you were going to run off anyways." He smirked down at her and she was just about to smack that damned thing off his face.

"Oh, just shut up and let's dance."

Because she wanted this over with as soon as possible. She just  _hated_  doing something like this. It was so utterly ridiculous and she couldn't believe that she was dragged into such a goddamn mess. Trying to occupy her mind, she oh so subtly changed their positions so she could keep an eye on Regina, who was still chatting away with the teachers.

Good for her. She was socializing, Emma thought. She had never seen the teacher actually talk with others all her time here. It was nice to know that she was doing it now. But the way that she seemed to fidget at times, the blonde could tell that she didn't like it as much as it had appeared. She wanted as much to get away from this scene as Emma did, and the way that she drew her attention away from the group every so often told her so.

And when she did it again, she came into eye contact with Emma, who flashed her a crooked smile. It had, in return, earned her a small, but sweet one, but there was something else holding her back and the blonde could see that. She couldn't quite place what it was, but what she was giving Emma wasn't all of what she had.

Then Emma felt something touch her ass and give it a shameless squeeze. She growled in Killian's ear and pulled slightly away to look into those oceanic eyes. He gave her a hopeful smile before leaning forward, causing Emma to stare at him with wide eyes. He wouldn't dare.

But it was inevitable. She had taken too long to pull away and he had obviously used her stillness as an invitation, because the next thing she knew, Killian's lips were on her own and his scruffy beard was unpleasantly scratching her chin. The hand on her behind had taken the liberty to squeeze the round flesh again.

It had taken a second to gather her wits, but as soon as her brain had flicked back on, Emma was pushing at his chest with one hand and taking a step back. Luckily, Killian had abided and released the blonde with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, you better be. What the fuck was that?"

"You… I thought you-"

"Has everything I said go over your head?" Emma narrowed her eyes and gave him the most intimidating glare that she could muster. "Maybe in a different life I would have wanted to kiss you. But not this one. I'm sorry, Killian."

"No.  _I'm_  sorry." He sighed.

Emma shook her head and gazed passed the teenager to the group of teachers. Regina was gone.

"Fuck. I gotta go."

"I'm sorry!"

The blonde waved a hand at him as she marched towards the back exit where she had seen a shadow just moments ago. The door had clicked shut by the time she had reached it.

"Fuck!" Emma pushed the door open and made haste to exit, but one of the staff members had departed from the group to grab her arm.

"You can't exit that way."

"I just saw someone go through here. I need-"

"I'm sorry, but you can't." He didn't look the least bit of sympathetic as he pulled her back.

Emma struggled in his grasp, trying so desperately to break free. She needed to get to Regina before she left. She couldn't just let her go. But this stupid fuck of a teacher wouldn't let her go.

"Come on! Just let me go!" She could feel her throat constricting as she spoke. Her eyes were beginning to glisten. "I need to go! You don't understand!"

"I can't let you through." The man shook his head, leaving Emma to sigh and give her attempts a rest.

"Good. There's an exit over there that you can use." He pointed towards the door that Emma had entered earlier, which so happened to be across the entire gymnasium.

"Fine…" she could have wept when he released her arm as she had trudged a few steps away from the exit. When he had turned to head back towards the crowd of teachers, Emma hastily scrambled to the door once again, this time succeeding as she slipped through the exit. The teacher was shouting after her, but she couldn't hear him. She was too focused on sprinting down the hall in search of Regina. There was absolutely no clue of where she would have gone. She could have gone home, for all Emma knew.

The blonde hastily walked down the halls, head whipping back and forth to peek into each room. All that had come up empty. And when she had passed down the English hallway, Regina's room was as dark as can be. Just to be sure, Emma quickly walked towards the door and tried for the handle. It was locked.

"Fucking hell." The blonde growled and made her way down the hall once again. Where was Regina going to be? She wouldn't just go home, would she? Would she?

Then she heard it, as she passed the gym's doors as she made her way there. It wasn't Regina's voice, but a couple of girls gossiping outside the door.

"Did you go into the girl's bathroom?" One of them spoke urgently to a redhead.

"What? No. Why?" The redhead replied, tilting her head with green eyes focused on the brunette in front of her.

"There's someone in one of the stalls."

"Oh, congratulations! You know that people actually use the restroom." The redhead sarcastically enthused.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "No! I meant there was someone crying. I didn't see who it was, but I could hear them sniffling."

"Which bathroom?" Emma suddenly moved to stand between the two of them. She usually never interrupted others' conversations, but this was her only lead on Regina right now. Maybe that was her. And if it was, oh god, Emma felt like utter shit for making the older woman cry.  _Again_.

"Who the fuck are you?" The brunette narrowed her eyes.

"No one. Just tell me what bathroom."

"Do you know who it is?" The redhead queried, a gentle look in her eyes.

"Possibly. But it's kind of urgent if so. So, please."

"It's the one nearest to the gym. Where else?"

"Thanks." And Emma was off, leaving the two of them to continue with their gossip. Hopefully this was Regina and hopefully she would still be in there.

Oh, god, what had she done? It was a bad idea to come to the dance with Killian. She should have just rejected him like she had planned if not for the insistence of her friends- which she hadn't seen  _at all_  upon her arrival.

After hastily making her way down the hall, squirming passed the people loitering in the hallways and talking about the mysterious girl in the bathroom, she had soon arrived in front of the girls' restroom. A few people stood outside, whispering to one another. The blonde scowled at them and made her way into the bathroom. There were a couple girls inside as well, touching themselves up in the mirror.

Emma slowly walked up beside them and pretended to fluff her hair all the while checking each stall in the mirror. Every stall appeared to be empty, each door slightly ajar to cross off the list. Dammit.

Then her eyes landed on the final stall door, which was completely shut. Emma could see the shadow of a being ghost across the tiles. Was that her? If only she could see the shoes that she wore…

And to get these two girls out of the bathroom because she was running out of things to do in front of this mirror and she was starting to look like an idiot just standing there, staring at herself.

"Can you believe that?" One of the girls' voice asked, loud and squeaky.

"No!" The other replied as the two of them pushed away from the sinks.

"It's so crazy, isn't it?"

"I know!"

"Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know!"

Emma wrinkled her brows and slowly inched her way closer to the closed door at the far end of the bathroom. What the hell were they talking about again? She hadn't necessarily been paying attention. Her main focus was on trying to find Regina.

"Uh! I can't  _believe_  that someone would use a hook."

_What the fuck?_

Their voices faded away as they left the bathroom, leaving Emma alone with whoever was in that stall. She really hoped that it was Regina or else she was absolutely fucked. Who knows what it would turn out like if she were to knock on that stall and someone else would be in there?

Maybe she could call her? Or text. If she hears a phone go off- which she hoped that Regina would have hers on her- then she would definitely know that it was her. So she whipped her phone from her jacket pocket and quickly thumbed through to find Regina under her messages.

_Regina?_

Send.

Then she heard a soft buzzing coming from the stall behind her.

"Regina?" She whispered, slowly walking towards the closed metal door.

"Just leave me alone." Her voice was huskier than usual. She really had been crying.

"Come on, Gina. Please…" The blonde slowly lifted her arm and rest the palm of her hand flat on the stall door. "I-I didn't mean…"

"You didn't mean, what? To kiss him?" Regina growled and banged against the door, reverberating the metal against Emma's hand.

"You said you wouldn't! You promised, Emma,  _and you broke it!_ "

"But  _he_  kissed  _me_ , Regina!" The blonde sighed and laid her forehead against the metal. "I didn't want it."

"Always the likely story! It sure as hell looked like you did. You even  _moved_  like you wanted to do it." Her voice started to falter, the next words coming from her mouth were but a mere whisper. "You lied to me."

"I wasn't expecting that he was going to do that. Please, Regina. Hear me out."

"No! Emma, you've… You've really hurt me. And you lied. I was watching you."

"And if you were watching me, you should have seen me push him away."

"But you didn't move away when he was going to kiss you." Regina's heels could be heard clacking against the white tile. The sound of the lock echoed in the room, but the door didn't open. "You could have. You had enough time."

"I…"

"Do you even have anything to say about that? Anything to defend yourself with?"

"I… I wasn't… He was just moving… and… I couldn't… I…"

"Yes. I do understand where you are getting at." Regina let the stall door swing open, causing Emma to fall forward with a slight flail before she gathered herself and stood up straight. That's when she got a good look at the woman in front of her. "You  _have_  no excuse.  _You_  let him kiss you. It was all  _you_ , Emma." She continued as the blonde observed her, frowning at the words that she had spoken.

The once perfectly painted makeup around her eyes was now smeared down her cheeks like a black waterfall. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her nose runny, for Emma could hear her sniffle every now and again.

"Oh, Gina…" Emma stepped forward, bringing a hand up to touch the brunette's cheek, but she turned her head and stepped back, bumping into the porcelain toilet.

"Don't. I just want to be alone." Her eyes were glued to the ground, her head slightly lowered and body hunched.

"Please… Just let me explain.  _Nothing_  is going on between us."

"You do not show it well enough." Regina slowly moved forward and slipped passed the blonde, her heels slowly clicking on the floor as she moved towards the door.

"Regina…" Emma followed after her. "We need to talk. Please let me explain."

"I…" Regina paused and turned around, her eyes glimmering with tears and her lips trembling as she spoke. "I need some time… I need time. Please, give it to me. I cannot do this right now…"

"Regina, I love  _you_ …" Emma reached forward, her hand successfully resting on Regina's shoulder. The brunette met emerald eyes, pleading with all her might. A soft sigh slipped from her lips as she let an olive toned hand rest upon the teenager's and gave it a squeeze. The blonde gave her a tentative smile.

"Don't." And with that simple word, Emma's entire world came crashing down around her. Regina removed the blonde's hand from her shoulder and slowly turned towards the door. Neither spoke as the brunette made her way out of the bathroom, leaving Emma alone with a numb heart.

What the fuck just happened?

What did she just do?

Why was she such a fucking idiot?

Emma could feel the tears start drawing themselves to her eyes, her heartbeat thumbing at a rapid pace and her breath becoming shallow. Her heart had a terrible ache to it. It felt as if someone had stuck their hand inside her chest and was squeezing the hell out of that damned muscle. That stupid muscle that got her into this in the first place.

She loved Regina, she  _loves_  Regina, and now she had probably just let the woman slip right through her fingers from some stupid choice. She should have never taken Killian up on that offer. She should have never let him dance with her. Especially during a slow song. She just should have never done anything at all.

The blonde had found herself in the same stall that Regina had locked herself in. She did the same, taking a seat on the toilet and burying her face into her hands. Everything just hurt so much right now. Sorrow had taken over her entire body, everything aching as her regrets slid down her cheeks and arms through crystalline drops.


	17. Living in Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please don't lynch me for that last chapter! I surprised even myself by writing that ending. I had different, non-depressing, plans for it and suddenly I'm getting one idea right after the other. I sort of did this same for this chapter (although in a good way). Things will get better, I promise.
> 
> Thank you all for the lovely reviews! And thank you for those who have given me some suggestions! I may not use them exactly as you give them, but they do give me a lot of inspiration, so I really do appreciate them just as I do with your opinions! You can give them to me any time that you wish, although I do not want you to feel obligated to do anything. But if you wish, you can leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter!
> 
> Also, I would like to say that I do not own the lyrics that I have put into this chapter (I'm sure you can spot them in the italics). They are from the song "Favorite Scars" by Cher. I also do not own the video games mentioned, they go to their rightful owner.

 

_Love covers you up in a landslide_

_Love pulls you under like a riptide_

_Love's when you crash trying to hang glide_

_Love's when you run and then there's no light_

* * *

Emma hadn't kept long in the stall. She didn't want to also be dubbed as that mysterious crying chick in the last stall. Anyways, it didn't feel all that private here, what with several girls constantly filing in and out of the restroom to check their hair and makeup, or chatter to one another about their dates. Useless information that Emma could definitely live without, but would have to wait and listen through until they would leave.

And, finally, after an agonizing ten minutes, the last group of girls left and gave the blonde enough free time to get the hell out of Dodge. She had made sure whatever makeup she had on was gone and exited the bathroom with enough haste to put a Cheetah to shame.

Now, the next task at hand was to get past her parents' questioning and any risk of them noticing her puffy eyes. Perhaps, if she were to walk slowly enough, the swelling would go down and she could avoid such problems. But, it was just her luck as she stepped outside and could feel the familiar pull on her eyes with a blur in her vision.

 _Just walk quickly,_ she advised herself, walking as fast as her legs could carry her. The happenings of tonight were all too much for the blonde. Her idiocy and Killian's goddamn persistence were enough to tip her over the edge and hurt not just one, but two, people in the process. Why did she ever allow him the satisfaction of believing that he had won her over? And why hadn't he accepted what she had said?

Was he really just so dense, or did he not believe her?

Whatever the reason for his actions, Emma could not forgive him. Those very actions had hurt the person that the blonde had cared for the most and, worst yet, resulted in something that may never be fixed.

But maybe that was just Emma's overemotional mind speaking at the moment. All Regina needed was time, and the older woman had said so herself. The blonde could understand that, but she still wished that Regina had at least listened to what she had to say. She was so quick to reject any excuse that Emma had tried so desperately to utilize, which had wounded her so deeply. Why would she do that? Why wouldn't she listen?

Regina was always the most reasonable. Of course, she was the oldest of the couple and should have at least known better to at least accept what the blonde had to say to defend herself. But she didn't. And she  _just left_ , never returning that 'I love you' that Emma had tried so hard to pour every ounce of her emotions into. She truly loved that woman, and it had only grown every minute they spent together.

But the way that she had never dared to say anything back… The way that she didn't want to listen to what Emma had to say… The way that she just  _rejected_  her arose many questions that the blonde wasn't so sure that she wanted answered. They made her heart just  _ache_  and squeeze in her chest so  _painfully_. It was like a thousand needles pressing into her, pinning her to the harsh realities of life and the true meaning of heartbreak.

It hadn't even been an hour since, but that was enough to feel like a lifetime. It was enough to bring the blonde's entire world around her, crashing, breaking at her feet. Short memories clouding her mind, both significant and not, playing on repeat. Each a turning point in their relationship, that Emma had dubbed to be rather major.

Meeting Regina was the first. Then their first lunch. Their first real talk. The first time that Regina had brought Emma home, and the events beforehand in the diner. Their first kiss, that special night in the Mercedes, parked in front of her apartment. The first time she had ever gone to Regina's, and their first date there. And then the trip to Boston and every special event that happened there; their first time being the one that stuck in Emma's head the longest.

Especially when they first said-

"Honey, what's wrong? You look like you've been crying." Mary Margaret's voice pulled Emma from her thoughts. The blonde hadn't even realized that she had made her way upstairs and into the apartment until she took a good look around. It was like she hadn't noticed that she had stopped crying, and a while ago, too, telling by the dried tears on her face. It wasn't like she had cared, anyways.

"I'm fine." Emma shrugged and tried to push past her foster mother. She could feel the urge to break down and cry rising with every breath. It always seemed to happen when she had such an emotional thought on the brain while others were talking to her. Usually it was only with Mary Margaret or David. It must have been that internal urge to confide and get comforted by someone close to her.

God, did she hate that urge.

"You aren't fine. Something's wrong. Please, Emma." The pixie-haired woman pleaded, but it was David who had pulled her back, letting the blonde escape towards the kitchen.

Emma tried her best to keep from any eye contact with the two of them as she shuffled through the fridge and pulled out a small container of kumquats before running off upstairs. As she ascended each step, she could hear the two of them urgently talking to one another- no doubt about her questionable state.

She didn't care. She cared about nothing at the moment. All she wanted was Regina. But the brunette appeared to not want her. And that had only pulled Emma deeper into that pit that she absolutely despised. It was what she had tried to avoid at all costs and had never seemed to have a problem with it since meeting Regina.

But, now, she was spiraling back down the mountain that she had tried so hard to climb. That ray of sunshine that spoke to her through the inky blackness of the cave she resided had disappeared, leaving everything to close in around her.

She hated being trapped.

"But does it really matter?" The blonde muttered to herself, pulling her phone from her jacket pocket before tossing the article of clothing aside. She checked the messages, just in case.

 _Nothing_.

"Please, Regina…" Emma looked at her phone expectantly before quickly pulling up the new message screen and typed something in.

_I know that you're angry at me and I know that you want time… But, please, Regina. I really want to talk to you. I want to explain. I'll give you all the time that you need, just please… respond to me._

But, upon reading what she had written, she deleted it. That sounded too damned desperate, for sure. She'd probably only turn Regina away if she were to send that message. Maybe she should just wait? After all, the teacher had said that she wanted time…

Tossing her phone aside, she lay back against her bed and sighed, placing the container of small fruit on her stomach and dug her pocket knife out of her nightstand drawer. She must wait. She needed time.

_Time._

Time was an enemy, and Emma's worst. She hated it more than anything, especially when it forced her to wait for something that she did not necessarily want to have to wait for. It was a ridiculous concept. Time. Stupid.

But that was the only thing to do to pass the time and not think of the things that would bring tears to her eyes. Insulting time.

Well, it was working for a few minutes, until she had gotten bored of insulting time and began to think of that goddamn woman. How could she be so stupid as to let her go like that? How could she be so stupid to go with Killian to the dance? She only had regrets. She regretted going to the Winter Formal at all. She regretted not moving away from that kiss fast enough. She regretted letting Regina go out that door without her being able to fully explain herself. She regretted ever staying for lunch with Ms. Mills.

No.

No, she didn't regret that. There was no possible way that she would regret ever choosing the path of the only pure joy that she had ever experienced. How could she even think about regretting doing something like that? It must have just been her mind and the bitterness of the kumquats controlling her brain.

She set the container aside and closed her eyes. What was there to do to pass the time? What amount of time was sufficient enough to contact Regina?

"Emma?" A masculine voice called from the doorway to her bedroom.

The blonde's eyes popped open, head whipping to the side, to see David standing there with a tentative look in his blue eyes.

"May I come in?"

"If you want the kumquats back, they're on my nightstand." Emma tossed onto her other side and brought the blanket beside her over her head.

"Emma, what's wrong?" He asked, though his voice calm and soft. The blonde could hear footsteps as he made his way across the room to her bed. "It will make you feel better if you say it."

"No, it won't." Emma grumbled, curling up in her spot and tugging the covers tighter against her. "Nothing will make me feel better."

"What happened, honey?" There was a dip in the mattress as he perched on the edge of the bed, causing the blonde's body to slightly roll towards him.

Emma sighed and brought the blanket down, resting it underneath her arms as she gazed up at her foster father with large, green eyes- shimmering with unshed tears. "I fucked up."

"You fucked up how?"

"I hurt someone that I really care about without meaning to. I-it was someone else's fault, but sh- they didn't see all of what happened… And… A-and I fucked up, David. I fucked up so badly…" Emma turned into the man's arms as the tears building up upon his arrival had sprung free, a terrible sob ripping from her throat.

"Oh, baby…" David held the blonde close, a hand caressing the back of her head. "I'm here… Emma, I'm here for you."

The blonde hadn't dared to respond. She couldn't. Instead, she squeezed him tighter, his musky cologne filling her senses as she buried her face in his shirt. It wasn't long until Emma could hear another pair of feet journey up the stairs, urgently moving as soon as they had hit the landing. Soon enough, the weight of Mary Margaret had dipped the mattress further down, and another set of arms were around Emma.

"What happened?"

"I don't know…" David's response was a whisper. The blonde had now calmed for the most part, although she couldn't help the soft sobs that escaped every so often into her father's shirt. "She said that she had… screwed up. Something about her hurting someone by accident, but it was someone else's fault? That's all I got out of her."

"Oh, my darling…" Mary Margaret's lips pressed soothing kisses against blonde locks. "It'll all be alright, Emma…"

"You don't know that…" Emma's voice was muffled against David, but the woman must have heard her clear enough.

"And why not?"

"Because I  _fucked_  up everything. Up the ass, mind you. With a cactus. Covered in  _sandpaper_."

"Emma!"

"It's true! There's no coming back from this." The blonde pushed away from her foster father and sat up to stare at the two with red, puffy eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and snot covered nose.

"It always gets worse before it gets better." She tried to reassure the teenager, but Emma only shook her head.

"I don't know if this will…"

"Just give it time, Emma." Mary Margaret sighed. "David said that you had accidentally hurt someone?"

"Yeah…"

"Talk to them?"

"She won't let me talk to her! She wanted me to give her time." And, really, Emma didn't want to discuss this with her parents, of all people.

"Then wait. Give her that time. Time is usually best in these situations-"

"I  _hate_  time!" Emma slammed the palms of her hands on the bed. "It only makes things worse!"

"Emma, honey, what I think your mother is trying to say is that, although time may be painful now, it will be worth it later on, when the waiting is over." David cut in before his wife could protest the blonde's words. He knew how both his wife and foster daughter worked. If Mary Margaret were to go too far, and he knew when that point would be, Emma would only get angrier and close up on them.

The sheriff shifted on the bed, his eyes focused on Emma's face. "Just think about when enough time has passed and you contact… her. Things will get better, won't they?"

"Only if she wants to talk to me about what had happened." Emma mumbled, emerald orbs sliding towards the phone that she left on the nightstand. She kept her gaze there as the other two watched her with frowning, sympathetic faces.

Maybe she would try to text Regina in an hour.

"Would you like us to leave you alone?" David finally asked after a few minutes of silence. The blonde only nodded and curled back up on her bed as she watched as both he and Mary Margaret stood, the latter picking up the container of small fruit.

"If you need anything, dear, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" Her mother whispered softly.

"I will."

"Goodnight, Emma."

"Try to have a good night, honey."

"Yeah. I'll see." Emma shrugged and watched them, frowning again, as they made their way to the door. Good thing that they didn't dare pry for more information or stay to bug her. They knew that something was off, and more than usual when she was in such a mood.

* * *

It had been three hours after her foster parents had left her alone. And two since Emma had sent the first text.

There still hadn't been a response, nor one to the second message that she had sent an hour prior. The blonde didn't want to seem too desperate though, as she had contemplated sending even a third text to Regina. She had set her phone aside and let that night's events run through her mind once again.

But every time that she had gone through the memories, they all seemed fuzzy and hazed, except for that look on Regina's face upon first seeing her in that stall. The look in her eyes of something that Emma had hoped to never see in them, let alone cause it. They were demons, the look in her eyes, the demons of her past, though Emma may not have known all of them. But there was something that had happened to Regina, something so similar to this, and she could just  _see_  it playing in whisky colored orbs.

"What did I do?" she whispered, fingers closing around the pocket knife that she had been playing with for the past three hours. A funny thought, although not humorous, had brought itself to Emma's mind. It had passed through a few times beforehand as she sat here, contemplating her life and how shitty it will be knowing that Regina wouldn't live it with her.

She had remembered thinking this a few weeks back. The day before she went to Boston, if she thought correctly. She had been sitting in detention and messaging Regina on the phone. It was one of the first times that they had spilt their feelings towards each other, or at least the deeper parts. It was a sort of joke at the moment, when she had sent the "because without you, my brain would be in shambles." Before Regina had taken it a step deeper, Emma had thought something that she figured would never apply to her _._

… _because without you, my life would not be complete_.

She only wondered if it were to apply to her now. Emma already felt this emptiness in her heart. Was that what it had meant? She would forever feel like this if Regina were not with her? Oh, god, hopefully she would never have to find out. Hopefully the brunette would want to resolve this.

"If you'd ever reply to me…" Emma sighed towards her phone once again and dropped the knife on her lap to pick the device up. Music usually cheered her up, or made her even more depressed than she was. But what if a song were to come on and deepen her mood? It would have to be a chance that she was willing to take for the moment. She'd hit herself later for making this decision.

After she picked out a good song to listen to, she picked the knife up once again and began to play with it. She always wondered why people hurt themselves with sharp objects when they were depressed, or whatever they were feeling when they did it. She didn't want to seem insensitive, but she just couldn't fathom why they would do it. But, of course, that was her. She  _hated_  pain. It wasn't something that she was partial to. Even growing up, she never grew used to the pain when getting into fights, or tripping, or walking into something, or even getting a paper cut.  
Pain was not Emma's friend, but she  _had_  always wondered what it felt like when one would physically harm themselves. She had heard people say that it felt good. That it got rid of the emotional pain. But that was from limited sources, since she wasn't all very interested in the idea.

Emma had to admit, at times, she contemplated the idea of hurting herself. It was usually at times like this, when she was shoved deep into depression and everything around her didn't seem to spark a smile. The idea of death was far better than the idea of living and it felt as if no one could change her mind. Hell, even when she  _was_  sober from her depression, she couldn't imagine why someone wanted to  _live_  and had often times thought about taking her life.

But that was going a step too far, and she knew it. She couldn't off herself. Especially not now. No. But… she could always dip her toe into this. Find out what it felt like. Find out if it were to work or not.

It was dangerous, she knew. It was like taking drugs prescribed to someone else. Everyone was different. Everyone handled things in a different way. In the way that they felt the most comfortable with. Some hurt themselves, while Emma listened to music. It was a long stretch, really, and quite the dangerous route to take. Her door was open (what door?), after all, and one of her parents could walk in at any given moment.

That was another risk she was willing to take. She wasn't going to take long. Just one cut… Just one to see what the hell this was all about and, more importantly, to see if it were to take away the pain squeezing her heart. So she flipped the blade out from her pocket knife as the lyrics from the song playing echoed through the room.

* * *

_Love is a sword when you've got no defense_

_Love is the rock we throw ourselves against_

_Love is the healing of a broken heart_

_The story behind all of my favorite scars_

* * *

"Yes, she's upstairs."

"She might still be asleep."

"She had a rough night."

"Just poke her to wake her."

"Thanks." The last voice was different than the first two, which Emma had concluded were her parents. But the third was someone completely different. A male.

The blonde sat up in her bed, eyes wide as she tried to throw on something with long sleeves, the sound of footsteps coming closer only had her movements hastier. The time was sufficient enough for her to gather herself as the source of the footsteps appeared in her doorway.

"Graham?"

"Yeah. Where were you?" The man stepped closer to Emma's bed, stopping at the side with a quirked brow. "Your parents said you came home and went straight up here. Ruby and Belle tried to contact you, but you wouldn't answer."

"I must have fallen asleep." Emma shrugged, her eyes falling to her lap.

"But you left early. I thought you were going to leave with Ruby and Belle?" Graham cocked his head to one side, thumbs in his pockets. "They never saw you at the dance."

"Well, I didn't see them, either."

"Did you even go?"

"Yeah. And it was the worst mistake of my life." Emma snapped, scooting to the corner of her bed. With a frown, her friend perched on the edge of the mattress and looked at the blonde.

"Well, I knew that you didn't like dances, but I didn't think this much." His eyes skated over her bed, covered in blankets, and landed on her face after finding nothing to answer whatever question he had floating around.

"It's not because of that." The blonde rolled her eyes and brought her knees to her chest.

"Ruby said you went with Killian." Graham's brow rose once again. "I thought you were dating Regina?"

"I… am." Emma guided her attention to her toes. Unclipped and boring.

"Oh…"

"I didn't fucking cheat on her, if that's what you think." She hissed, snapping her head up. "I told her that I was going with him. She was there, too, but as one of the teacher chaperone peoples. We… we were supposed to dance after… Killian and I were done. Sneak out, y'know?"

"What happened?" His voice was quiet, monotonous, even.

"Shit. I fucked up." Emma shrugged, playing with the cuffs of her sweater.

"Emma.  _What happened?_ " Graham repeated himself, this time, his voice not showing any sign of play. No dancing around the subject. Of course, that was Graham. When he wanted answers, he got them. Emma was glad that he was able to keep his secrets.

"Killian Jones happened." Emma snarled. "I even told him… I-I told him before we got into the gym."

"Told him what?"

"That I liked chicks." She muttered, tugging at a lock of hair. "He was joking when he asked, but I answered him seriously. I thought… he had taken me seriously as well."

"What the hell did he do?"

Emma balled her fists and brought her gaze to meet with Graham's. "It was a slow song playing and he insisted we danced. I wanted to reject it, and I regret not doing so now… And then he kissed me. Halfway through the song, he put his hands on my ass and  _kissed me_."

"He kissed you? Is that what this is-… Wait." Graham's eyes lit up as he put the pieces to this puzzle together and the full image lay in front of him. "You said Regina was there, correct?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"I take it that she saw…"

"Yes." Emma quickly answered, tugging at the sleeves of her sweater some more. "And she ran off. I found her in the bathroom."

"The… bathroom?"

"Yeah." The blonde shrugged. "We fought… I…"

And then she began to feel the familiar tug of tears and the blur in her vision. She could never manage to make it past that part. It always brought tears to her eyes seeing Regina so hurt like that. It was the last thing that she had ever wanted to happen to the brunette. But it had happened and she just couldn't get that heartbroken, betrayed look out of her mind. And that last part before she left the bathroom. That part where she didn't return the 'I love you.' That part where she walked away without another glance.

"Emma…"

"I can't believe that I hurt her like this." Emma buried her face in her hands, taking several deep breaths to calm herself, easing the constriction in her throat.

"But, didn't Killian kiss  _you_? Didn't… you stop it?"

"I tried. I did. I pushed him away. But she didn't see that, I don't think… And she accused me of wanting to kiss him."

Graham leaned forward, his head tilted to one side as he stared at the blonde with keen interest. "Well, it doesn't seem that she was in her right mind to spout accusations like that. Didn't you tell her what happened?"

"Over and over again, Graham. I did. I tried to explain what happened. But she said she needed time and… and she didn't want to listen to what I had to say." Emma shifted, taking a deep inhalation of air as she pressed her back to the headboard.

"Why wouldn't she?"

"I don't know… She was probably going to cry again. Hah, did I tell you that? She was  _crying_. I made her  _cry_!  _I fucking made her cry_."

"Emma, calm down…" He frowned and reached out to set a gentle hand on her forearm, giving it a squeeze. "Did you try talking to her again?"

"Yeah. I sent her three texts. Two, each an hour apart, then another before I went to bed." The blonde grabbed her phone from the nightstand and woke it up. No new messages.

"And I called her twice. The first time, she didn't pick up. And the second… it was dial tone."

"Shit…"

"Yeah, shit. I fucked up!" Emma threw her phone across the room, causing it to break apart. The back flew away from the front, and the battery landed in one of the blonde's shoes. "I fucking  _love_  her and I fucked it up. How the hell am I going to survive knowing that she  _hates my guts?_ "

"Emma…" Graham's voice was nothing but a mere sigh. His hand slid from the blonde's forearm to rest on her trembling back. "You have to give it some time.  _More_  time. You're overreacting. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours, yet. I'm pretty sure you'd need time too, if something were to happen to you in a similar situation."

"Time! Time time time time  _time!_  I  _hate_  time!"

"Yeah? Well, you'll just have to live with it! Time is a part of life that cannot be helped and time is needed in order for things to progress. You have to shut up and open your eyes, Emma! I know you're better than this! The Emma I know doesn't sit around and mope about time and some  _girl!_  She would go out there and kick ass. She would make the best of the situation. Take the bull by the horns. Get your mind off Regina and  _busy_  yourself so you don't have to burden yourself with it. Live a little and deal with it later because right now, you will only make matters worse by bitching and waiting. Let time run its course, and before you know it, things will start to get better. I know that it sounds like a load of bullshit right now, but trust me… It will get better." Emma's eyes were as wide as saucers as she lifted her gaze to meet with her friend's. She could only nod, because she knew that he was right. This wasn't her. And by just sitting here, nothing was going to get accomplished. Everything will just go on agonizingly slow. The burdening thoughts in her mind were just eating away at her brain until there would be nothing left, and she needed that damned thing in order to make up with Regina.

"Good. Now, why don't you get your ass ready and come with me. Ruby, Belle, and I planned on doing some stuff today, but you won't know until you find out." He coaxed, scooting himself off the bed. "Leave that damn phone here, too. It's all broke anyways."

"What if… What if she calls?"

"Who the fuck cares! Do you want her to know that you've been wasting your life away at that phone for her?"

"Yes! She's  _everything_  to me." Emma protested, scrambling from her spot to the edge of the bed where she nearly clobbered the man sitting there.

"Well, fuck her!"

She blanched and muttered, "… I do."

Graham stood there for a moment before turning around to spot a pair of socks on the floor, the ones from yesterday, no doubt, and picked them up to toss at Emma's face, both his brows raised.

"Get ready. And if you're not downstairs in five minutes, I'm dragging you with me despite what you're wearing- with or without that phone." And with that, he was stomping out of the room.

Emma made haste at gathering her phone first, putting the pieces back together to stuff the entirety of it in her sweater pocket. Luckily the damned thing didn't shatter. Her parents would have been  _pissed_.

Nibbling on her lower lip, she quickly tried to find a pair of jeans to pull on and slipped the socks that Graham had thrown at her on as well. Her shoes were by the door, so it was rather easy to slip them on before jogging down the stairs to meet with Mary Margaret and Graham, chatting at the kitchen table.

"You threw your phone?" The pixie-haired woman's stern question startled Emma at the bottom of the stairs.

"Y-yeah…"

"Why? Is it broke?"

"No. And… I was angry." The blonde slowly walked over to her foster mother, shooting Graham daggers on her way. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"You better not. That thing is expensive."

"I won't." She repeated.

Graham stood from his spot, a smirk playing on his face as he headed towards the door with an expectant look.

"Don't stay out too late." Mary Margaret warned, gazing up at her daughter.

"No promises. I might stay the night with Ruby and Belle. I'll text you."

"Emma…" Her mother sighed, playing with the mug of coffee in her hands.

"Graham's only here for these two-"

"Actually I'm on winter break. I'll be here for a couple weeks." Graham interrupted, raising a hand. "So…"

"Thanks…" Emma rolled her eyes, one arm crossing over the other.

Mary Margaret bit her lower lip before speaking, looking up at her daughter with those same eyes from last night. "You can stay the night, dear, since it'll be a school week next week."

"Yeah, only four days. Stupid finals…" The blonde muttered, but smiled and bent down to wrap her arms around the brunette. "Thank you!"

"Yes… Now, go! Before I change my mind."

"Okay! Let's beat it, Cracker." Emma quickly made her way to the door, following behind her male friend as he made his way out.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Ruby immediately asked upon Emma's and Graham's arrival at the room the latter had booked for his stay.

She and Belle were both sitting on the couch, looking at the blonde with raised brows. Graham must have told them that he was going to retrieve Emma with the way they seemed so expectant for his arrival.  _Their arrival_ , she mended.

"Home."

"Come on. Why don't we go do something?" Graham suggested, gesturing his head towards the door. "We can go down to the docks like old times."

"Or go grab a bite at Granny's. I'm starving." Emma mumbled.

"Yeah."

"No! She's gotta tell us why she ditched us!" Ruby hoisted herself up from the couch and stalked over to Emma, a glare in her brown eyes. The other brunette was soon behind her, nodding.

"I didn't even see you there." Emma retorted. "So I left."

"You didn't look hard enough."

"We saw you." Belle was quick to add.

"Then why didn't you come to me?"

"Oh, honey, I'm pretty sure  _everyone_  saw you." The brunette waitress laughed, gently shoving the blonde's shoulder. "You were macking on Killian in the middle of the room. I wasn't going to interrupt that."

Emma growled and crossed her arms. "You should have."

"Let me guess, he did it without you wanting him to?"

"Do I really have to answer that or have you two already forgotten also?" The blonde rolled her eyes, shifting the weight from one foot to the other.

"What do you mean?" Belle asked calmly, stepping beside Ruby now to give her friend a concerned look.

"I told Killian before we even entered the dance. He kinda asked the wrong question and I sorta said yes. But, the thing that pissed me off, was that he kissed me anyways. And it just…" Emma trailed off, swallowing thickly at the memories that had happened afterwards.

"Is that why you went home so early, then? Did he upset you?" That was Ruby, taking a step forward as if to protect her.

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"I'll kill him…" The waitress growled. "I'm sorry that I insisted you go with that perv in the first place."

"It's fine…" Emma shrugged. "Can we just go… eat and do something?"

"Emma wants to get her mind off things." Graham elaborated, stepping up from behind the blonde. "That's the only reason why I got her to come willingly with me."

"Fine." Ruby's eyes narrowed, focused on the blonde who returned the look with a quirked brow.

"What?"

"You'll be telling me more details later. Count on that."

"I won't!" Emma sing-songed, quickly making her way towards the door that connected with the diner on the other side of the room. She could hear Ruby scoff and yell something at her, while both Belle and Graham laughed, the latter speaking.

"Look who put you in your place."

"She won't last…" Ruby muttered, causing Emma to roll her eyes once again.

The four of them soon got situated in a booth, Ruby's replacement waitress- or so Emma liked to call her- took their orders. As they wait for their food and drinks, they began to reminisce with Graham. Most of it was things that Emma had talked with him about the weekend she went to Boston. How were his classes? Did he find anyone to date yet? How's the weather? What's your apartment like? Any new replacement friends?

Then he was asked about what they had done when Emma was up there, both Graham and Emma froze in there spots. Emma's doe-eyes stared blankly at Ruby, who had asked the question, as the man next to her did the same.

Hopefully they didn't look guilty, because, fuck, they would get the wrong idea. She knew how Ruby's mind worked at times, and she would definitely assume they had done  _something_  considering the way they had frozen in place just not, despite Emma's whole being gay thing. No one ever seemed to consider it at times. Well, she did suppose there were a limited number of people who knew…

"We went to watch a show and ate dinner." Emma quickly muttered. "And, uh, went to a shop. I bought a necklace. That one I told you I got in Boston?"

"Oh, the one that you're wearing now?" Belle tilted her head, a finger rising to point at the swan pendant around her neck, contrasting against the black sweater that she wore.

"Yeah…" The blonde nodded, a hand immediately going up to capture the small pendant in her hand. It was the only part of Regina she had, and believe it or not, had helped her keep it together some of the time because it brought back those great memories.

"That's all? Sounds boring." The brunette teased.

"We talked, really. Most of the time we stayed at the apartment and watched television." Graham added with a shrug. He played with the glass of soda set in front of him as the waitress had come back with the drinks. "We couldn't really go anywhere. It was busy as hell."

"It still sounds boring. Why didn't you go to any clubs or anything? Do something fun?" Ruby smirked. Of course she would say that. She was always the one bringing them to the parties here in town. Emma didn't know why she enjoyed them so much. There were so many people, terrible body odor, distasteful music, and bad or lewd dancing. The only thing that Emma ever really liked about going to these parties were the food that they served. She was glad that Belle didn't like them, either, because it was usually Ruby and Graham dancing their way through the crowds.

"Because I know Emma hates them. It'd be pointless." He shrugged, sipping from his drink.

Emma did the same, a wry look on her face. "Unlike you, Ms. I'll-Drag-Your-Ass-There-Against-Your-Will."

"You end up liking-"

Belle slowly shook her head, leaving Ruby's words to fade into the air.

"It's too loud, Ruby. And Em only likes the food."

"True." The blonde nodded, bringing her burger close to her as it was sat on the table. "If there was one way to make me happy, it would be to give me food. I really like food."

"Yeah, we know." Ruby chuckled. "You always order a jillion things when you're here."

"I have an idea about how we'll get Emma to feel better." Belle smiled widely. "Food. We'll have a food party tonight."

"And video games?" Emma peeped in hopefully. "Gaming goes good with food."

"Hell yeah, I'm up for that!" Graham whole-heartedly agreed, the widest smile on his face. "Then maybe I'll beat your ass at that game."

"Good luck." The blonde muttered, shoving a few french-fries in her mouth. Ruby and Belle both shook their heads with an eye roll. Typical them. They hated playing video games, or at least didn't like playing against Emma since she was quite the sore loser.

"You bitches will be playing with us. I have Mario Party, don't you worry." The blonde smirked.

"What, so you can scream at us when you lose a mini-game? I don't think so." Ruby quickly shook her head, although a playful smirk was evident on her face.

"What? No! I don't do that…"

"You go ballistic every time you lose and throw your controller." Belle quietly added in. "You bruised my arm last time."

"I won't do it. I promise." Emma pleaded, puffing out her lower lip in an attempt to guilt them into it. "Do it for me. The sad, sad little Emma that needs all cheered up."

"Yeah, come on guys. Do it for puppy-dog Ems." Graham shoved the blonde's side teasingly as the two gave a collective sigh.

"Fine."

"Sweet!" Emma grinned. That should definitely take her mind off the buzzing worries in it. Gaming usually helped, and a little ass-kicking would do her some good.

* * *

"That's so fucking unfair!" Emma screeched, throwing her controller across the living room of her apartment. Mary Margaret yelled a quick reprimand, but the blonde hadn't paid any attention.

"You lost fair and square, Emma!"

"No, I did not! That fucker pushed me off!" The blonde huffed, crossing her arms as she angrily sat back against the couch.

Ruby shook her head and smirked. "But that's the concept of the game."

"Stupid concept."

"My, god, you  _are_  a sore loser." Belle just shook her head as Graham had a party of his own, laughing like a hyena beside Emma.

"It's intense when we play those other games together. She bitches every time I shoot her." Graham continued to chuckle, patting Emma on the back.

"Mario Party is a fucking friendship ruining game. Why did you guys let me play this?" The blonde absently mumbled, going to retrieve the controller that Mary Margaret had picked up from the kitchen.

"Emma, mind your language."

"Sorry…" Emma mumbled, heading back to the couch. "We should play something else."

"All games are winning/losing based, I don't think they're going to work out." Ruby flipped through the stack of game cases by the system, a brow quirked at her blonde friend. "So it's either this or some I-Spy shit."

"That's Mary Margaret's." Emma shooed the brunette waitress away from the screen as she rolled her dice to move.

"I know a game that you might like that has no winning or losing to it." Belle mumbled from the other side of the blonde, tentatively pressing buttons on her controller when it had become her turn.

"What is it?" Emma turned, suddenly curious as to what it would be. Of course, there were games like that, but most were boring as hell. She couldn't fathom why people would enjoy games where you search for things on a picture or whatever those games were about.

"It's for the computer." The brunette bookworm explained, which had Emma rolling her eyes. If Belle was about to suggest she play one of those puzzle games…

"It's called  _The Cat Lady_."

"What?" Emma snorted. "That doesn't sound the least bit interesting, sorry. I don't want to play with herds of cats, or whatever the fuck."

"No. It's not like that at all. Really, it doesn't have much to do with cats themselves. I mean, you get to play a cat for like five seconds, but it has a really beautiful storyline. I really think you should try it. I bet you'd like it."

"I don't know, Belle. The title itself is turning me off…" The blonde crinkled her brows.

"No, she's right. I watched her play it." Ruby twisted around to face the two from the floor and gave a wolfish grin. "There was a lot of blood and, in one scene, naked boobs."

"Boobs?" Emma smirked. "Blood? Now  _that_  sounds like my kind of game."

"Yeah, it's a horror game." Graham finally added. "I had seen some videos about it on the internet, but hadn't played it myself. You die, but you're supposed to as a part of the storyline."

"Huh. Where do I get this from?" Emma asked, suddenly quite curious about this bloody, horror game. If it was as good as they said it was, she would surely enjoy it, right?

"I have a copy of it at home. You can have it." Belle smiled.

"So what's it like? I mean… How are things supposed to go? Are you a person, or what?"

"Yes. You're a woman, who is considered the cat lady, although the cats are all strays and all she does is feed them. But, uh, she's not like really old or crazy like you would make a cat lady out to be. She's depressed and commits suicide at the beginning of the game. But you have to play it to find out." Ruby started to explain. "The reason behind it is explained the further you progress, so it's more of a revelation storyline, but you still have some badass shit happening."

"Like what?"

"You'll just have to play it and figure that out yourself. It's the entire plot of the game. But, you virtually have to kill people and there's just… blood and gore, it's pretty awesome." The waitress continued. "It's one of those games where you get a choice to choose the dialogue, so you can choose what she would say, which would affect the reply of whoever you might be talking to. It's the same with actions, of course. I think, depending on your choices, it changes the overall outcome of the story- the ending. There are about four endings in all, one of them is supposed to be 'secret' but it's pretty easy to get after you're familiar with the game."

"And it's a game that you can replay if you ever wanted to see the other outcomes or change dialogue and choices at certain parts." Belle added. "It's funny to see what you could say after choosing differently."

"You should play it." Graham nodded.

"Well, whenever we're done here, you can give it to me." Emma grinned, shaking with excitement. "But, right now, I want to fucking finish this game and eat some dinner."

"I'll give it to you tomorrow. I don't want to go back to the house tonight." Belle muttered, focusing her attention back onto the screen.

"It's fine. It's something that I'll be playing by myself, anyways." The blonde shrugged. Whatever this game was, it sounded interesting as hell and she was sure anxious to get her hands on it. A horror game. She loved those. But the way that they made it sound, it wasn't exactly a screamer. Especially if Belle was saying that it had a beautiful storyline. Oh, god, she hoped that they were right when saying that she would like it, or else she'd have a fit. She wouldn't only be able to see when she got the damned thing on her laptop tomorrow.

But for now, it was time to just enjoy this time with her friends and keep her mind off other things. It seemed to be rather successful as of now, which was good. She hadn't had one thought of Regina since going out with her friends- well, besides the thought of the necklace. Wait… She was thinking about that damned woman now. No. Just concentrate on trying to blow her friends off the screen. Nothing else. No Regina. No school. No dance. No yesterday. All that mattered right now was winning this goddamn game.

* * *

Monday.

It was Monday and Regina still hadn't returned any of Emma's calls or texts. The blonde had sent one last message to the teacher on Sunday, but there was no luck for a reply. And now it was Monday, and Emma still had Regina for her fourth period class. It would be the inevitable. They would have to meet face to face, although the blonde would be at the back of the classroom and Regina at the front- especially if she were still playing the avoiding game.

Though, this was the opportunity for Emma to make amends with the brunette teacher. She really wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be. Being apart from Regina- especially for these three days- had felt like a lifetime of agonizing memories, forced to replay in the blonde's mind and to think up what Regina was going through, if anything. And that swan pendant that she wore only reminded her of the brunette that had left her in that bathroom.

It was about time that she would confront the older woman. Three days has been long enough, she thought, and Regina should be ready to hear whatever the blonde had to say. It was a terrible nagging feeling that had found itself embedded in Emma's gut that she had never been able to mend things with the brunette before she had ever left. She wanted to tell her  _everything_  that had happened and explain to her what she had been building up in her head for three days. That she loved that woman  _to death_  and would never intentionally hurt her. It was that boy's fault that everything happened and she had so many regrets, she was ready to create a novel, or fifty. She would beg and grovel if she had to, even though that was nothing of her character, but she would do  _anything_  if it meant getting her Gina back.

Three days was too long. Way too long.

And so were three more periods.

It was first period as of current, and she sat next to the one that had seemingly threw her into the pits of hell by just that one action. She used to feel sorry for him, hell, she even liked him as a person. But now, he had fucked up everything so bad and twisted whatever beliefs that Emma had about good people, that she just  _hated_  him.  _He_  put her through all of this.  _He_  sent her past the point of no return. Although, that may have just been a  _little_  much. But she  _had_  contemplated things that she had never dared before, and had actually gone through with them.

Oh, god, how could she bear the sight of him at this moment? Looking at him only reminded her of that night and what he had done, and what pain that he had caused. And she would only have to be reminded of such things for the next three periods until she had confronted the result of what he had done. It all felt like a dream, like a  _game_  that dragged you along, throwing the plot and problems in your face until you hit the climax and end with the exposition, which could only be good or bad. You'd just have to choose your course correctly in order to gain the better ending.

Emma only hoped that everything would turn out alright. She didn't think she could handle whatever life that lay ahead of her if Regina were to brush her off. It was painful enough being in this… purgatory. It was only a matter of result that would answer the blonde's question regarding her life.

And that answer was still two hours away. An agonizing two hours that Emma wished didn't have to be there. But she had to do  _math_  instead of talking with what mattered most. Who the fuck ever used shit taught in school, anyways, besides applying it to a teaching career? It was futile. She didn't even need to know this to become a goddamn cop. Or at least she didn't think so. All she needed to know was how to drive, use a gun, and do paperwork all the while watching her tail.

"Emma!" Mr. Spencer's voice had the blonde jumping in her spot, feeling as if she had just been smacked as the thoughts had immediately dissipated.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Can you answer the question on the board?" The male teacher pointed to a complicated looking problem on the board and Emma nodded, although she had no idea what the hell they were even doing. Perhaps it wasn't for the better to space out during class like she had intended.

The blonde slowly got out of her seat and walked towards the front of the room. She could feel all eyes on her, even a few whispers as she walked by. It had always made her self-conscious when others were whispering around her. She always felt those comments were meant to be directed towards her, though, she could never know what they were saying. Emma supposed it was for the better, because when the comments  _were_  for her, and were spoken out loud, she absolutely hated them and wanted to bash heads together.

But she was getting off topic again, and it definitely was not helping her lack of knowledge for what they were doing. The problem splayed out in front of her looked complicated with the mix of numbers and letters and numerical signs. What the fuck was even going on here? And who the hell ever came up with this?

"Any day now, Swan."

 _Killian_.

Emma tightened her grip on the marker in her hand at the sound of his voice and tried her best to ignore him as she started with the problem. Whatever the hell she was doing, she was doing it correctly.

Of course, they were reviewing. Wednesday was the start of semester tests, after all. This was just something from earlier on in the year. She probably learned it on one of those days she had decided to space out- which would have been most days. Regina really had pulled her attention away from classes.

Soon enough, she was finishing up the problem with a confident smile. The lesson on this was rather easy and the entire process simple. It had seemed intimidating at first, but really, it wasn't, and Emma was thankful for that. At least she didn't embarrass herself in front of the entire class.

"Congratulations, Swan, you got one right!"

Emma froze in her spot, emerald eyes sliding towards the brunet with a smile on his face, and shot him daggers. "So?"

"Just cheering you on. No need to be a crocodile." He rolled his eyes, chuckling at something that someone had said beside him.

Shaking her head, Emma proceeded back to her seat. She wasn't going to play his game today, because if she were to, she would just blow up in his face and, really, she didn't want to do that- at least in front of an entire classroom.

"But I'm sure she wouldn't mind chomping on you some more." A girl from that sat in the spot in front of Emma giggled. Obnoxious bitch.

"I bet she'd do it right now if she could." The boy sitting next to Killian put in his two cents. Why the hell were they doing this?

"No. She's a lezzy, she would be on the chicks in here." Another boy, the one that sat beside Emma, was quick to expose.

Suddenly, the girl that sat next to Emma and the one in front seemed to gasp with disgust, and the blonde could just  _hear_ it, as they moved as far away from her as possible.

"That's disgusting! I want to change seats, Mr. Spencer!" The brunette squealed from beside the blonde, who rolled her eyes.

Really, it was amusing how they were reacting, but at the same time, it hurt. Emma could never fathom why people acted like that. Why was it such a big deal to have knowledge that she prefers women over men? It's not like anything has changed. It's not like she would try something. Why do they always think that? Why don't men overreact to women or vice versa, and be revolted by sitting next to them, believing that they would hit on them? To Emma, she felt that it should be the same. No reactions. No cares.

Why couldn't someone just say, "She likes girls? That's cool." or "He likes boys? That's cool, too." and just move on with their lives? It was just something that Emma couldn't understand, and she knew that there were others with the same thoughts.

Really, though, why did they always think that one would immediately hit on them? That girl wasn't even Emma's type. And, for some reason, it had just clicked in Emma's mind that they  _knew_  she was gay. Killian… That traitorous bastard squealed out her secret, and now everyone knew- or at least everyone in this class- and would probably spread the word.

"What's this fuss now?" Mr. Spencer growled from his spot at the desk, looking up to the girl who had spoken his name.

"I don't want to sit next to the…  _lesbian_." She whispered the word as if it were a dirty thing.

Emma scoffed and crossed her arms tightly over her chest, shrinking down in her seat as the teacher stood up from his desk, eyes boring into the blonde's skull. She had  _no idea_  what type of man he was, if he was one that accepted or rejected the idea.

Mr. Spencer didn't even respond to the girl. He only pointed to an empty desk at the front of the classroom, which had the teenager out of her old seat in a matter of seconds.

"Thank you. I don't want  _her_  to try anything on me."

"What the fuck makes you think I would want anything to do with the likes of  _you_?" Emma couldn't help but to sneer, slamming her palms on the desk. "With any of you? This is just so  _fucking_  ridiculous! It was just fine before. I wasn't  _hitting_   _on you_."

"Emma, will you calm down before I send you to Mr. Gold's office?" The teacher warned, staring with harsh eyes at the blonde.

"Excuse me for trying to stand up for myself!" The blonde balled her fists. "What a school system. Let the bullies bully and yell at the victims for growing a pair."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" The boy next to a rather quiet Killian had spoken.

"What the fuck does that even mean?"

"Emma Nolan!"

"Do you even hear this jerkoff?" Emma hissed, then stood up from her seat to gather her items.

"I bet she'd like it." The girl in front of her added.

"Emmett?" Another jeered.

"Oh, just fuck you! Being a lesbian doesn't mean I want to become a fucking  _guy_." Really, what the hell were they even thinking? If you were going to insult something, at least have knowledge of it.

"You'd like to fuck me, I bet." That girl spoke, a smirk on her lips. "You'd like to just lick my pu-"

"You wish!" Emma quickly threw out, backing up towards the door. "I hope you're happy, Killian. I hope it was worth it. This is why I don't tell people this…"

"Emma, wait!" Killian was starting to get out of his seat now, but the blonde shook her head and opened the door.

"Save it, asshole. You successfully hurt two people." And she was gone, marching off towards the office. At least it would be a lot safer there than in that goddamned classroom. Even though it were only three or four people insulting her, it was still quite hurtful. If it were to be only one, Emma would still have been upset like she had been in the past.

Why on earth had she ever trusted that damned boy with her secret? She should have known he would blab it. And he couldn't deny it, either, because he was the only one of a select few that knew.

Asshole.

That's all Emma could keep running through her head at the moment as she made her way down the hallway. But before she had even made it to the office, the bell had rang and students were filing in the hallways. Well, that saved the silly explanation for leaving that class. She could just head to her third period.

And the thought of that sent her heart thrumming in her chest. Only one more period before she was in Regina Mills' class. God, she couldn't wait to see that woman again, and hopefully to see her beautiful smile again. She really needed it.

She really needed to get her mind off everything, as well. If she wouldn't, she would probably break down at some point during this period with all of what had happened. The emotions building inside of her from second period and the assholes there were stored in a dangerous place. Emma was lucky that she hadn't broken in class, or one of two things would happen: crying on the spot, or lash out and hurt the target.

Emma wasn't one that held her emotions in well if they were pushed to the limit. She would  _snap_  or  _break_  in some way. The crying bit wouldn't be caused by such hurtful things said to her, no, it would be caused by the  _anger_  welling up inside of her. The anger that she tried so hard to conceal would become so dangerously high- and she knew when that would occur, because she would just  _shake_  with her built-up anger until she could no longer contain it, and would just burst into tears, even as she spoke. It had happened to her before, where she had been so angry, she couldn't help but to scream as she sobbed. If she were to lash out, they would know it. That could also go one of two ways, she would scream and hit, or just silently walk up and wail on the contributor to her rage. Either way, it never ended well, and it definitely would not have in that classroom because as far as she could tell, almost everyone was an enemy, and her eyes would lock in on every single one of them.

It was a good thing that she had walked out of the room before she had been pushed past her limits. She couldn't afford a call to her foster parents who would, no doubt, question her as to why she would do such a thing. She didn't want them to find out that way. For them to find out, it would be best for her to sit them down. But, seeing as to how nothing bad had happened enough for a call, she didn't have to worry about it. Instead, she could clear her mind. They were able to run today.

And run did she. Emma had let every worrisome thought melt away as she ran around the gym, although, it would have had a more calming effect on her if she were to be outside. Unfortunately, it was too cold and too snowy outside for them to use the track. The blonde didn't mind, just so long as she could run.

By the end of the period, she was exhausted, but her mind felt pumped and ready to take on the next period. During her run, she tried to think up positive outcomes to her talk with Regina, if she were to get one. She even had thought up what to say, although, she probably wouldn't be able to remember it word for word. That would be for the best, though. She wouldn't want to sound robotic as she spoke to the older woman. Who knows what Regina would think of her if she were to give her an entire written speech for an explanation? It would be utterly cheap. It would be richer coming from the heart. She would play it by ear, especially since she didn't know how Regina was going to react to what she would be saying.

Or if Emma would be able to say anything at all, because when she walked through that door to her fourth period Creative Writing class in Ms. Mills' room, she saw  _her_  and her breath hitched in her throat. It had been the first time in three days that she had seen that woman, and she still looked as gorgeous- if not more. Although, the blonde noticed a few changes in her appearance.

Regina looked just  _worn_ as she sat at her desk, filing through papers. She had dark circles under her eyes, although she had tried to cover them up with makeup, but the puffiness was still there if one were to look close and long enough. Her hair looked different. It looked… thinner. And her skin appeared paler, but that could have just been the lighting.

Emma frowned, unable to help the drop in her muscles, as she made her way to her desk at the back of the room. Regina didn't seem to pay any notice to her presence. Usually she gave her a smile. That was just another strike to the current reality. Was she really going to ignore her?

With a soft sigh, Emma let her gaze lower to the paper that had been left on her desk from the previous English class. This would be the most agonizing hour of all, Emma had concluded. Even though she was where she wanted to be, she still had to wait and watch as the brunette with the sad, chocolate eyes stood in the front of the room, helping the class review for the semester exam. With every step that she took and every word that she spoke, Emma could sense the sorrow in them, and the way that her tone or step had changed. She walked with a heavier step and spoke with a huskier tone.

No one else probably noticed, but Emma knew Regina, and this wasn't her. This was someone that had another thing taken from them and was on the verge of just giving up. She was weighted with demons that were dragging her down- the same ones that Emma had tried so very hard to pick off. It had all ultimately failed in the end- her efforts- for it was her own fault that they had returned. Only now could Emma hope that she would be able to remove them once again and help Regina back up.

Emma was bound with regrets once again by the end of the period, each one squeezing her heart tighter in her chest until she just could not breathe. As the students filed out of the room, she remained, watching as the brunette teacher made her way over to her desk without a word, or even a look, towards the direction of Emma. She had avoided any eye contact all class period.

Now was the time. Now was the time that she would have to speak with her and hopefully end all of this. All of the pain and the worry and the constant hurting.

Emma closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before standing up, slowly making her way over to the brunette.

"Regina?" her voice was hoarse as she spoke, nothing but a croak as it came from her lips.

"What is it?" The teacher impatiently asked, brown eyes focused on the paper in front of her, although she wasn't exactly seeing it.

"We need to talk…"

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Please…" The blonde pleaded, tears already drawing themselves to her eyes. Was she not even going to try?

But that had her removing her reading glasses and setting them aside before looking up at Emma, brown eyes glistening. "So what? You can hurt me some more? I may be a masochist, but even I have my limits."

"No, Re-Regina… It's… I don't want to hurt you. Believe me on that…" Emma tried, dragging her chair over so she could sit in front of the brunette.

"Well, you… you have." She looked away, her voice trembling with each word, and each one had stabbed a needle into Emma's heart. "And I can't talk to you right now."

"It's been three days, Regina!" Emma sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Three days and I… I can't  _breathe_  without you. It hurts so much to be apart from you. It's really… it's unreal how much you mean to me. And I want you to trust me when I tell you that I love you. I love you so much, I didn't think it possible."

"Emma…" Regina slowly shook her head.

"Don't you love me, Regina?" Emma honestly asked. It had killed her when she had never returned it on Friday- although she could understand why given the circumstance- but it had bothered her ever since, bringing unwelcome theories to mind.

"Of course I love you, Emma." She half-laughed, half-cried. "In fact, I love you too much…"

"You should let me tell you what happened, Gina…" Emma urged, her voice a soft whisper. "If you love me as much as you say, you will let me, because I find it terribly hard to even  _live_  without you… with knowing that you could possible hate me."

"I-I could never hate you, Emma. It is unfathomable."

"Then let me please explain…"

Regina sighed at the blonde's simple plea and Emma tentatively brought her hands up to grab the brunette's, which had her face etching with a debate that had clearly started in her head. Her eyes flickered with hope, and then betrayal. It had hurt so much to see what was reflecting in those dangerous whisky orbs. It was a pain that Emma felt she could never survive. But the brunette spoke, squeezing her hands.

"Fine."

"R-really?"

"Emma. Tell me what happened." Regina impatiently clucked and the blonde nodded.

"I told you, uh, before the dance that I had accepted Killian's invitation to the Winter Formal. Really, I didn't want to, like, at all. But Ruby insisted and so did Belle, since they were going and wanted me to come. Usually I don't like going to those things… So, since he had always been crushing after me, I accepted it." Emma started, her green gaze locked with Regina's and never leaving as she played with the older woman's olive fingers.

"And since I would be going, and with someone I didn't very much care for, I got the idea to convince you to go, too. I had this crazy dream that we could dance with one another, you know? You'd be like my… uh, queen in… a sexy dress to come save me." The blonde blushed slightly. She hadn't told Regina the exact reason why she wanted the brunette to chaperone the dance. But, hell, it never hurt anybody and she knew that the teacher wouldn't make fun of her. "But, yeah, I know… We couldn't actually dance there, so the whole take me away thing came to mind. But you know that.

"Anyways, on that night… Killian picked me up and we were walking to the dance when he started commenting on how I wasn't much of a dress person. And then he made some remark about me being gay after asking some other question and I just answered 'yes.' That's the story about how I came out to him, and I thought he had taken me seriously. He said that I still owed him a dance and I figured that I did since I would be ditching him for you.

"But when we finally got on the dance floor… That was when the slow song started to play. I wanted to get the hell away from there, but he said that I owed him a dance and he wanted that one. I mean, I guess I could have backed away, but I didn't really think anything would come of it since he knew, you know?

"The next thing I know is that he has his hand on my ass. I was pulling away to confront his, but he had apparently read it the wrong way, because he was making this weird, puckering face. It literally took me a moment before my brain clicked to realize what was happening. I know that sounds like a stupid excuse, but come on, I was confused as hell. It's like that moment before people kiss, you know, it's like a spell is put on them to keep them in place. I don't know… But, he kissed me. Yeah. And it was horrible. He tasted like fish. I  _hate_  fish." Emma took a moment to shudder at that memory. "But after I realized that he was  _fucking kissing me_ , I pushed his ass away and chewed him out. He tried to apologize, but really? No."

The blonde just shook her head and finally let her gaze fall to their hands, where Regina had started to play with Emma's own fingers, anxiously lacing them with her own to gently tugging on them or separating them between her hands. She remained silent as she soaked up what Emma had just said, only continuing to play with her fingers as she did so.

Then she released the blonde's hands and set her hands on her own lap. Emma's heart sunk at the gesture, her hands balling up.

"I don't know what to say." Regina finally mumbled.

"You don't have to believe me, I guess… But I swear I'm telling you the truth. And I'm… I'm sorry… I cannot apologize enough for the way that I have hurt you. I can't even blame it all on him, you know? I'm the fucking idiot that decided to go with him. I'm the fucking idiot that let my friends convince me to go in the first place…"

"I believe you, Emma." The brunette reached out to take one of Emma's hands to cradle it in her own.

Emma looked at their hands for a moment before gazing back up to meet Regina's. "And I am so fucking sorry for…  _everything_. I hurt you and that's the last thing that I ever want to do. I've been beating myself up all fucking weekend and I haven't been able to sleep because every time I close my eyes… All I could see was you and what I had made you do. I made you _cry_. I never wanted that!" Tears drew themselves to her eyes once again, this time they didn't stay within their boundaries, instead, they spilled down her cheeks in warm, crystal streams.

"Sweetheart…" Regina squeezed Emma's hand before releasing it, using her free hands to wipe away the tears that didn't cease to stroll down the blonde's ruddy cheeks. "Don't cry… It's alright. I-I forgive you. How can I not when I know that you are so pure?"

"I can't be pure for hurting you, Gina. It's… all my fault that you're-"

"Sh, don't worry about it." Her voice was a soothing hum. "I was- and still am- quite hurt, but I forgive you. I know that I am not the only one that had suffered from this… and it was my own childish acts that had thrown us so deep into this pit. I know now that you do truly love me and I should have never doubted that. It was just that… with him… It all threw me off and put me back in a bad place. This was the only way I knew how to react."

"He's an asshole…" Emma shook her head, sniffling her nose to keep the snot from dripping out. "I wish Friday never happened… He doesn't know how to keep a fucking secret, either."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Emma shook her head once again and stood up to take the few steps between them. "Can I… Can I just have a hug?"

"I think we both need one."

"I've wanted to hug you ever since entering this room." The blonde wrapped her arms tightly around the now-standing Regina as she engulfed the teenager into her arms, that familiar spicy perfume filling Emma's senses and relaxing every nerve that had been on end since the start of the weekend. All events were gone at the snap of a finger.

"Is that so?" Regina whispered against blonde locks, one hand tied up in the mane itself as the other landed on Emma's ass. And that one  _squeezed_ , which had the blonde smiling. She liked it when Regina touched her ass. It was hers and hers only. No one else's.

"I always know when you need a hug. I get a strong urge to give you one, and it only grows stronger the longer I have to wait." Emma purred, pressing herself closer to the brunette. "And you really needed one today. My poor Gina looked so sad… I feel like shit for making you feel like that."

"I feel the same for putting you through this senseless ordeal. I shouldn't have acted the way that I had, Friday night. If I were to stay and actually listen to you instead of leaving in hysterics, we wouldn't have been put through this mess." Regina murmured sadly into Emma's ear, her body slightly rocking back and forth. "I felt too weak… too vulnerable."

"But, think of it this way, it will only bring us closer. We know how hard it is to keep away from each other and now we'll only want to be closer to one another. I know that I do. I want to fucking handcuff myself to you and never leave your side again."

"I think that would be taking it a step too far, but I must agree. I never want to leave your side again." Regina cracked a smile, and it was that smile that brought one to Emma's own. There it was. She had been yearning to see that gorgeous smile that could brighten her day within a matter of seconds, no matter how shitty it might have been.

"You should stay with me for the rest of the day," Emma hummed, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder, her smile never fading. "There are too many assholes right now after the biggest one of all."

"Is something wrong out there, darling? You had mentioned something about Killian unable to keep a secret?" Regina tilted her head slightly to press a kiss to the side of Emma's head.

"Yeah… Killian fucking told  _somebody_  that I was gay. And it got around, because in my second period class today, it was an absolute shit-storm. Mr. Spencer didn't do shit about it when a girl asked to be moved…" She sighed, grabbing onto Regina's shirt as she balled her hands into fists. Just the thought of earlier had her emotions set back on the roller coaster. Emma could feel the constricting in her throat as she spoke again. Her rage was causing her to shake once again at the memory. She wanted to just  _bash_  their heads together. "They wouldn't stop saying… things. Killian just sat there. I just walked out… The goddamned teacher didn't even care at all that they were saying these things. He  _yelled at me_  for defending myself." Her voice rose a couple of octaves, and as it had, she could feel Regina's arms constrict around her.

"I will have a word with him." Regina growled, rubbing soothing circles against Emma's back as the first sob released itself into the teacher's shoulder.

"I want to  _hurt_ them all so  _badly!_ " Emma cried, her grip tightening. "I wanted to bash their fucking skulls together. Maybe then they would fucking get it that I'm the same old me…"

"Honey… Hey, sweetie."

"They all deserve to die!" The blonde hissed, another sob wracking her body.

"Emma…" Regina pulled away from the embrace, her hands moving to touch Emma's cheeks, cupping them with gentle palms. "Calm down, sweetheart. I understand that you are angry at them for saying these things. I have been there… But you are  _better_  than them, and you are  _happy_  with who you are, aren't you?"

"Of course I am… I have you." Emma tried to even her breath, sniffling her nose several times in the process as she gazed into Regina's loving, brown orbs. "I would never change who I am if that meant losing you. You're the best part of my life and I know what hell is now… Hell is not being able to spend time with you, never being able to see you or talk to you and to have these thoughts of hatred…"

"You have something that they don't." Regina whispered, ducking her head to press a chaste kiss to Emma's lips. "And I want you to keep reminding yourself of that. Remind yourself that, sure, they can say these hurtful things about your lifestyle, but at least it had given you something that's definitely worth it. That's what I do… I remind myself of you when I'm feeling low."

"I'll remember that…" Emma looked down, shame suddenly filling her for reacting in the way that she had towards those people.

"Good." The brunette said, the sweetest smile on her face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Emma replied. Her heart could just melt with the way that this woman looked at her. Regina made Emma feel so special, like she was the luckiest woman on earth. And, really, she believed that she was. She had a woman that loved her, and really did, as she loved her just the same.

"I really… I really just want to  _squish_  you." Emma could help but to comment, the largest smile that she could muster was displayed on her face.

"Please don't," Regina chuckled. "It would hurt."

"I'm sorry." The blonde giggled also, but tried to keep it as quiet as she could so she could hear Regina's own laughter. She enjoyed that woman's laugh. It was music for the soul, beautiful and enchanting. Whenever she heard it, she soaked it up like a sponge. It brought her great joy, especially in knowing that Regina was happy, which ceaselessly made her happy. "But, I just have these  _feelings_  and all I can currently translate them is to squish the hell out of you."

"I have those same feelings, dear." Regina laughed again. "But I tend to keep them to myself."

"Well, I honestly wouldn't mind if you squished me. I like it." The blonde gave her a cheesy smile, bursting into laughter when the brunette just shook her head.

"I can think of other ways to show you how I feel."

 _Oh_.

Those words went straight to her core, no stops, no turns. She knew  _exactly_  what the older woman meant by that, and, of course, it would only leave the blonde flustered in her spot.

"You're blushing, dear."

"Yeah… Well, you would, too." She let her gaze fall from Regina's face to find the computer behind her suddenly become so interesting.

"If we weren't in school right now, I would make an effort to show you just how much I really feel." The back of Regina's hand ghosted over Emma's cheek and the blonde's breath hitched, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Her head tilted towards the hand, reveling in the tender caress that it gave.

"It's unfortunate, because that skirt of yours could have made everything far easier." Emma mumbled, opened her eyes with a smirk on her face. The woman in front of her had rosy cheeks, although wore a smirk that could have any villain put to shame.

"If you come over tonight, we will see just how easy this skirt will make things." Regina purred, her tone dropping a couple octaves. "Sit down."

"Sit?" Emma blinked at the sudden command, but didn't defy what the older woman had said as she found the seat behind her. Regina was soon sitting down as well, her sharp, brown eyes focused on the blonde's scrunched face.

"How much time do we have left in this period?"

"About… uh…" Emma swallowed thickly as he lifted her eyes to the clock on the far wall. "About half."

"Then we have plenty of time to eat." Her hands were on Emma's thighs in a matter of seconds, which had the blonde slightly squirm, pressing them together to ease the sudden ache thrumming there. Regina wore a devious smile, her eyes sparkling with something almost sinful.

"Gina…?" Emma breathed, her heart rate speeding up incredibly as the brunette let that teasing little tongue of hers slide slowly across her moist, pink lips.

"I'm starving. Did you bring any food?" And, suddenly, she was sitting up, all evidence of what had just happened suddenly gone and replaced with a friendly smile.

"I… uh… Have a sandwich?" Emma turned around and quickly fumbled with her bag, pulling out a small container with two plastic-wrapped sandwiches inside. She quickly opened the plastic, fingers shaking as she retrieved one of the sandwiches to hand to the awaiting teacher.

"Thank you, my love." Regina seized Emma's wrist and gave her knuckles a few soft kisses.

"I know it's not much… I wasn't really concentrated on making lunch, this morning."

"Anything from you is a wonderful treat, Emma. Lest it be a dinner from a five star restaurant to a simple lunch consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I will love it and be forever grateful, regardless." The brunette gave Emma that toothy grin that always seemed to melt her heart. She looked so beautiful when she smiled genuinely, and so very happy. That's why Emma made it her goal to keep Regina smiling, and she would double her efforts after what she had done to her.

"Fuck, do I love you…" Emma's cheeks burned, her eyes fluttering to the sandwich in her hands as a sheepish smile lightly graced her lips. And her love for this woman grew more each day. It had only been  _two weeks_  since they had told each other for the first time that they loved one another. It was remarkable how fast these feelings were taking over the blonde, and the brunette herself. Emma had suspected that they had started from the very first day that they met and flourished over time, only growing until she had truly realized her feelings. It was something she had already figured out over time, but it still seemed just so mind numbing that they hit her so hard and so fast. She never thought something like this would be possible in real life, that it only happened in movies. But, then again, she never really believed in love before she had a taste of it for herself, and oh god, was it the sweetest thing that she had ever tasted.

"I love you, too." Regina replied, her voice rich like honey.

Emma always lived to hear those words come from the brunette's mouth. It always sent her heart soaring high above the clouds and made all the hurt go away. She only wished this woman could be with her nonstop, because hell, she wouldn't have to worry about breaking down. As long as she was with Regina, all her cares flew away and she was as light as a feather.

"Gina?" The blonde licked her lips, shifting herself forward in the chair.

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you think that you could… uh… come into my second period class?" Because that's exactly where she needed the brunette the most. Of course, what she was asking was a hefty deed, for the teacher had a class that hour and what business would she have entering Mr. Spencer's room?

"For what?" Regina asked carefully, though she was recollecting what the blonde had told her about that very class.

"Never mind… Forget that I asked. It's stupid, anyways. I know that you can't."

"Tell me why." The brunette left no room for arguments, her visage stoic, though the jelly on the corner of her mouth took away from the serious expression.

"I don't want to go back… I only have tomorrow in there before the semester tests- which wouldn't be as much a hassle since it calls for silence. But, if you were there… I know that I could get through the period." Emma carefully put her words together, her fingers pressing into the bread. "Being with you makes me feel like I can do anything, and with you there, I wouldn't have to care what they would say about me."

"But what business would I have sitting in there for an entire period?"

"None. That's why I shouldn't have asked, because it was stupid." The blonde shrugged, taking a large bite from her sandwich.

"No. It's not stupid, my love. You have given me an idea."

"I did?"

"Yes." Regina nodded, sitting back in her chair with a smile. "I can pull you out of class, if you wish. You are only reviewing, correct? You're good at math, I don't think you need to sit in there for an entire hour, do you?" When Emma quietly shook her head, she continued. "I will make up a bullshit reason for you to come down. My second period class is rather large, but you could sit at my desk."

"Would you really do that for me?" Emma asked, sitting up.

"If you would like me to, dear. But I cannot promise anything. I would have to get someone in here to fill in for the time that I am gone." The brunette only shrugged, smiling at the blonde who had started to tear up.

"Thank you, Regina… It- it really means a lot that you would do that."

"You are my, uh,  _girlfriend_  after all. I want nothing more than for you to be happy."

Emma brought a hand up to rest on the brunette's soft, olive cheek. This woman was truly a miracle and she was lucky as hell to have her in her life. She even felt as if she didn't deserve the brunette and all of the generosity that she offered. She couldn't even do half as much for Regina as the older woman did for her, but hell if she wouldn't try to. Emma would be sure to make everything up to the brunette woman when she had the resources to do so, most definitely, because she loved that woman more than life itself and that was saying something coming from the broken foster kid who didn't believe in a thing called love.

She looked, really looked, into the brunette's eyes before her, staring into the depths of truth that lie behind them. Eyes rarely lied, Emma found that out on several occasions. Of course, sometimes they did deceive, but most of the time you could really see what was behind them. What deceitful thing might be hidden there, or the truth, the  _power_ , of their sincerity that could just shake Emma to the core. Because that's how she found out what Regina had truly felt for her, the way her eyes told every secret that she held. Even looking into them now, it had sent shivers down the blonde's spine. She could see nothing but pure, unadulterated  _love_  in them, like a swirling sea of melted chocolate, both rich and pure.

It was a beautiful sight; wondrous, warm, and inviting. Emma found herself frequently captivated by the twinkle in those orbs that sent her heart thudding against her chest in a rapid tattoo. Her body, like a magnet, slowly leaned towards Regina's body in an attraction that could not be stopped. She could feel the older woman do the same until both were mere inches apart, their lips parted with heavy breaths and dilated pupils. Emma could feel the tingles already, coursing through her body in a pleasant pulse, extending from her head to her toes.

"My beautiful Swan." Regina whispered just before she closed the distance, her lips capturing Emma's in a slow, tender kiss.

And then the bell rang, though the two failed to pull apart. Emma didn't care whatsoever about that damned bell. She would rather be late to sixth period than having to give up a kiss with Regina. It was the sweetest thing where every cell in her body buzzed with excitement, her toes curling ever so slightly in her shoes as the older woman tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

Emma's fingers curled into raven locks as she pressed her upper had into the brunette, whose hand had found itself on the blonde's cheek. A soft moan formed in Emma's throat as the burning in her lower belly seemed to flare to life the more Regina moved to kiss her, tongue filling the blonde's mouth with the taste of cinnamon coffee. Cinnamon was so much sweeter when mixed with Regina, Emma absently thought, her hands moving at a frenzy along the older woman's back. Then one of them had found its way to Regina's chest, covering one of the mounds of flesh over the soft silk.

"Emma…" Regina groaned breathlessly, back arching into the teenager's touch. Oh, god, was that the hottest thing? Emma growled softly and proceeded to knead the brunette's breast through her shirt, the kiss turning into frantic desperation. "Oh, god, please… I-I need you…"

"Camera?" The blonde muttered against the brunette's cheek as she let that hand fall to Regina's hip with the other, sensually sliding them down her thighs to the hem of her pencil skirt, then back up, pulling the fabric with it.

"I lied…" Her grip on Emma's hair had tightened, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as the blonde's hand slid up the inside of her thigh, disappearing under the skirt.. "There aren't any in the classrooms."

"I know." Emma smirked, pressing a kiss to Regina's cheek before soon trailing her lips down the side of her neck. "Spread your legs for me…"

Regina did just that, her knees on either side of Emma's own legs. The blonde smirked and continued to kiss her way down the brunette's neck, stopping at the crook to tease the skin with her teeth as her fingers did the same, gracing the surface of Regina's satin panties.

"Fuck me…" Regina pleaded, her hips bucking into Emma's hand.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Emma whispered against Regina's heated, olive skin. "It's rather risky. Someone could walk in at any moment and we could get into some kind of trouble."

"I know... We should really stop." The brunette's fingers tried so desperately to grasp at Emma's sweater when the blonde pushed the panties aside to tease the teacher's entrance with a finger.

"Yeah..." Emma nipped at the older woman's skin, a digit slowly pushing itself into Regina, causing her hips to buck and grind against it for more pressure.

" _Oh…_ " The brunette gasped, her nails digging into the black sweater now.

 _Beeeeeep_.

"Shit." Emma puffed against her lover's neck. "That was the end of the passing period. I need to go… I already missed Friday."

"Fuck!" Regina hissed, leaning back against her chair as the blonde slipped her digit out and brought her hands to herself. "You will  _definitely_  owe me, darling."

"Oh, the makeup sex will be worth the wait." Emma gave the panting teacher a sly smile just before sticking her finger in her mouth. "Get yourself off if you need to, or hold it, I don't care. But I'll be sure to make you come until you can't think straight."

"You are evil, Emma." Regina huffed, pulling her skirt down.

"No, Gina,  _you_  are. You're the evil queen, after all." The teenager let out a guffaw as she picked her bag up and slung it over her shoulder. "Make sure you get yourself nice and horny for me, okay? I'll see you after school."

"Oh, dear, I already am all hot and bothered. I just need  _you_  to extinguish the fire between my thighs." The brunette watched as the blonde shook her head, walking towards the door.

"I will, don't worry." Emma winked and opened the door, but had stopped short before heading out. "I, uh… Need a pass."

"Right." Regina purred, pulling out a stack of pass papers from her drawer to make on out for the blonde. "Should I put in 'fucking the teacher' as the reason for tardiness, or…?"

"I don't think that's a wise idea." Emma chuckled, taking the pass from the brunette as she handed it to her. "Although, how accurate it would be."

"Not exactly." Regina shot the student a sardonic look.

"Oh, shut it." Emma stuck her tongue out before whipping around to the door once again.

"Put that tongue to better use, my dear." She heard behind her, which had the blonde smirking to herself and shout behind her as she left the class.

"Don't worry, I will!"


	18. The Finals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay! I have it posted on a day that I had said it would be on. I actually had a hard time with this chapter, for distraction and writing block reasons. But it's all here! Every word of it that I hope forms a coherent story!
> 
> But, before you move on, I would like to address a few things. (Nothing bad, don't you worry). First of all, I would love to thank you all for the wonderful, wonderful reviews! They really do make my day and, really, my entire week! I enjoy your feedback, it really helps fuel my writing bug. I cannot thank you enough, really. :) I'm really glad that you all enjoy my story and have stuck with me thus far, or have taken the time to click and read through!
> 
> I would also like your opinion on one thing. I had this thought in my head a few days back while writing and it started to bother me. I want to know if I'm writing too much smut? It feels like it, since I've written it for most every chapter since the trip to Boston. It didn't feel like it to me at the time, since I normally take a while to write up and post each chapter, but after I realized it, it might have seemed a little too much, especially if someone were to read it all the way through. This isn't meant to be a smut fic and I don't want to add too much to make it that way. But, I'm just self-conscious about this and I want to hear your opinions, since you are my faithful readers. (Regardless, I probably won't be having as much smut from now on, though).
> 
> And to finish up and let you get to reading ( I know I babble too much), I would like to set a warning. A trigger? in here. It's just parts of the beginning, talking about self-harm. I will have it marked with bold words (since I had heard a suggestion about that) in case you need to skip that part. I do apologize about last chapter, like I had said, I am not aware of a lot of that kind of stuff (and I know that I should be). Thank you for pointing that out to me, though, it helps quite a lot.

"I hope no one else gave you any trouble… Did they?" Regina asked, setting a glass of apple juice in front of Emma before taking a seat next to her on the couch.  
They were now at the brunette teacher's house, which had become something of a second home to the blonde. She found herself here quite often, spending more time at the small mansion than her own loft. She even managed to memorize the layout of the place and knew exactly where everything was if she ever needed anything, or Regina asked her to grab a thing.

It was nice to be in a place where she was welcome. A place where she felt so at home- but, then again, wherever she was, she felt like she was at  _home_  when she was with the brunette. It was a strange way to put it, or so Emma had thought, but it  _was_  the best way to describe how Emma felt with the older woman.  _At home_.

Though, that had explained so much- as they were apart over that weekend- why she had felt so lost, so… empty. She had lost her  _home_ , in a matter of speaking, and it had felt as if she had lost every possession within it. Was she ever glad that she had Regina back now, because she could never imagine living anywhere else?

"No, thankfully." She answered, a subtle smile on her face. "It was just the assholes in my second period. They weren't in any of my other classes."

"That's good." Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, pulling the teenager against her body. "So, dear, how was your day?"

Emma gasped softly as tender lips pressed against the sensitive flesh just below her ear. The blonde tilted her head slightly, her skin pebbling with goose flesh. "My day started out shitty, but during and after lunch, it got better. You make me happy, and incredibly so."

"I am glad to hear that, my love." The brunette grinned as Emma turned her head to meet whisky orbs. "You certainly make me happier."

One of Regina's hands slowly made its way up the blonde's sweater-covered arm, continuing its voyage up the side of her neck until it reached Emma's rosy cheek. The smile on the teenager's face only grew as she nuzzled the olive flesh, the softest of mewls slipping from those pink, parted lips.

"I'm baking." Emma whispered. She suddenly felt so goddamn  _hot_ , her body had reacted with great exuberance to Regina's teases and it hadn't helped that she wore this damned sweater that only trapped her body heat in.

"Take that thing off, then, dear. You won't need it for much longer, anyways." Regina's words were a sensual purr, mixing kindly with the fingers that slowly eased the black sweater up even as she spoke. "It will prove difficult to make love to you if you were to continue wearing this silly thing."

And as the sweater was pulled over her breasts, Emma began to panic. There was no reason for wearing this heinous thing- and that same reason applied to her excuse of not having taken it off already.

Her reactions had Regina ceasing her movements to give the blonde an eyebrow raise, her perfectly plucked brow propping up with a silent question that thundered in Emma's ears.

"Don't," she whispered.

"I thought you wanted…" The brunette's voice was soft, tentative, and her eyes almost lost as emerald stared into the searching browns.

"I-I do, I just…" The blonde's gaze dropped almost shamefully as her words were lost. Regina would figure out her secret at some point. She couldn't hide it from her forever.

"What is it, Emma?" Now the teaching was sitting straight up, her eyes attracted to Emma's mortified face. Her grip tightened around the blonde.

"We don't have to have sex. It's fine."

"I want to…" Emma sighed, pulling her sweater over her head, though she had left her arms covered in the bunched fabric. "I-I'm sorry…"

Those words held more meaning behind them than Regina would ever know.

"Are you…" The brunette leaned forward, her mouth mere inches from Emma's ear. The blonde shivered as Regina whispered the rest of the question. "… on your period? Because, if you are, I will get you some chocolate and we can cuddle."

"What? No!" Emma gasped, moving from the surprised brunette's grip. "I mean, that would be nice and I would like that very much, but I'm not on my period. Don't worry. No bloody twat today."

"O-okay." Regina blinked slightly, her eyes momentarily lowering to said area before raising to meet with Emma's. "Then what's wrong, Emma?"

"Nothing." She shrugged, leaning back into her girlfriend's arms. "It's nothing, Gina."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I am."

"What would you like to do?" Regina smiled, setting her chin on the blonde's shoulder as her arms tightened over the younger woman's belly.

"Anything that you want." Emma leaned into her, quite content in this spot. She loved being held by Regina. It made her feel  _safe_  and  _secure_ , and it put away every drop of worry.

"That is quite easy to answer." Regina whispered into Emma's ear, causing the hairs on her body to stand on end. "I want  _you_."

The English teacher's tongue deliciously laved across the soft, pale flesh below Emma's ear. The sensation shot straight to her core, where the fire brewing in her belly roared to life with a desire that only Regina could stir- and ultimately satisfy.

" _Oh…_ " Emma swallowed thickly, her heart already hammering in her chest. "Then… we'll do that."

"Mm, good… I want to show you just how much I really love you." Regina's voice was soft and sensual as one hand moved to rid of the bundled sweater in Emma's arms, the other provocatively made its way up the blonde's abdomen to the swell of her chest. She gave a gentle squeeze, resulting in a slightly squirming Emma as she arched into the touch.

"Do you like that?" the older woman squeezed the teenager's breast once again, resulting in a soft moan, which was mirrored by a sultry groan of Regina's own. Her head lowered, lips making contact with the shell of Emma's ear. "Do you want me to do it some more?"

"Please…" Emma gasped when Regina did just that, her second hand sliding under the thin fabric of the blonde's black tank.

"I know you liked it." She muttered against porcelain skin, her teeth gently teasing the flesh with gentle nips in time with the circular rub of her hand.

"I enjoy anything from you." Emma shifted to press her thighs together as the wandering hand slid p her shirt and over the twitching muscles of her abs. Oh, was this woman ever a tease?

" _Anything_?" Emma could hear the older woman's smirk. Suddenly, the blonde could feel a sharp pain as Regina's nails were digging into the flesh of her stomach. The grip soon faltered, the hand continuing on as Regina chuckled, acting as if it hadn't happened.

"I know you like the pain." She whispered, fingers caressing the smooth expanse of skin, stopping every so often when her fingers came across the crescent grooves left by her nails.

"Sometimes." Emma replied, biting her lip when she shied her left arm away. The brunette hadn't seemed to notice, for she only chuckled again, the sound a melody that- combined with her gentle touches- had the throb between her thighs only intensify. She shifted in her spot, subtly grinding her sensitive flesh against the seam of her tight jeans for some sort of relief.

This, Regina did notice. She retracted the hand from Emma's breast and pressed it against her thigh to cease her movements.

"You let me do that." A wicked smile reflected Emma's flushed cheeks. "You impatient little Swan."

"I am a  _horny_ , impatient, little Swan." Emma grumbled, though the smile on her face fully reached her eyes. "And this Swan needs to get fucked by her Queen."

"I'm your Queen, now?" Regina smiled, eyes softening incredibly.

"Yeah. You queened me, after all."

"Oh,  _yes_." And just like that, those molten brown orbs darkened as lust drove away any other intentional emotions. "And I plan on doing far more than just that, my dear."

"Yeah?"  
"Yes. But you must come with me so I can show you." Regina gently removed herself from her position and stood, hand blindly reaching down to grab Emma's forearm.

**(Skip this bit if you need to)**

The blonde winced. It had just so happened to be her  _left_  arm, of course. The damn thing still hurt. Just hopefully Regina didn't notice her moment of weakness.

"Come. Let us go to the Queen's bedchambers." Regina growled, tugging the blonde off the couch as she made habit to move towards the bedroom upstairs. Emma anxiously followed behind, the whole time hoping that her brunette lover wouldn't notice the terrible wounds on her arm- the one that she was currently holding what felt like a goddamn death grip.

"There's no rush. We have all night." Emma gasped from behind Regina who had shifted in a way that agitated the ut underneath it.

Emma always had a habit of picking at scabs. Unfortunately, this wasn't an exception, and as soon as the damned thing had scabbed up, she found herself itching and picking at it, freshly opening the wound again. And, in her case now, she really should have left it alone- as Mary Margaret had always got on her case about- since the damned thing  _hurt_.

"Are you alright, love?" Regina's brows were knit together. She had caught the blonde's latest wince and took a step into her personal space. Muddy eyes met with grassy green, dropping only moments later to her grip on Emma's arm.

"Oh, dear…" She gasped, immediately releasing Emma's arm. "Did you get a scratch on something-?"

The blonde closed her eyes, her head lowering when Regina's words had cut off. She saw. She saw the angry red lines, connected together to shape an "R." Four lines to be exact. Four painful scars that reminded Emma of that night.

"Em- Emma?" Sad, brown eyes rose to meet Emma's, who tried her best to avoid contact. "What did you do…" it was more of a statement coming from her lips than the question that it should have been, but the blonde had answered it as such.

"I was… in a dark place and ventured where I should have never gone." Emma shamefully hid the mark that she had inflicted on herself, head still lowered, though her eyes now met Regina's. "I promise that…. That I don't make this a habit. I-It was my first time and… I was curious, and… there was a lot of blood."

"Emma…"

"I'm sorry, Gina. I'm so fucking sorry that…" she mumbled the last words, unsure of what they had meant herself. She felt mortified and felt as if she couldn't apologize enough to Regina for whatever reason that she deemed fit. The older woman didn't seem to comprehend what she was hearing or seeing, for her eyes were wide as saucers, but blank.

Emma had done something that she wasn't sure if Regina could handle. Her hands were full enough battling everyday wars, and here Emma was, adding a goddamn steak to her already full platter.

And the way that her eyes had started to glisten with unshed tears, ready to push through the walls that they were held behind, had Emma's heart in a tight grip. Regina looked about ready to break when she had noticed that the lines had formed that particular letter that her name started with.

"It didn't help anything. It only made it worse." Emma crossed her arms, daring to break the silence that Regina didn't seem to want to interrupt. The blonde eyed her left arm with disdain, regret immediately making home in the pits of her mind. "I not only had a deep, emotional pain still eating away, I now have a physical pain that will mark me for as long as it is there. I just… missed you so much and I thought writing-… putting your name o-on my arm… would take away all the pain like I've heard. But it hurt too much by the time I… And I still felt really depressed."

"I feel so horrible for making you do this, sweetheart. I-I didn't want you to hurt…" Regina finally spoke, though, her visage was as forlorn as her hunched posture. Her fingers idly played with one another. She couldn't quite bring herself to meet Emma's gaze, and she knew it.

"It's my fault more than anything, Gina. None of it is your fault. At all. I don't want you to think you made me do this." Emma pressed a hand to the back of her neck. "I'm the stupid fucking idiot who made the choice to-… A-and I should have known better, you know? We all have different ways to deal with our pain and… this just wasn't it. Killing myself would have-"

"Don't say that…" Before the blonde could logically conceive what was going on, she found herself engulfed in Regina's arms, drowning in familiar spices.

"Why not? It's true." Emma's words were muffled as the brunette held her tighter, ultimately pressing her face into a mouthful of blazer.

"Emma… Don't speak about taking your own life. Please…" Regina sighed, pressing her lips to the top of her young lover's head. In silence, she pulled away from Emma, allowing the blonde to breathe real oxygen instead of the fumes emitted from Regina's perfume. Orbs, a shade of melted chocolate, roved over the petite frame in front of them, soon shimmering with emotion as they landed on the exposed opposing scar. A myriad of emotion molded Regina's face as Emma kept her sparkling forest eyes on her.

**(You can read from here if you skipped, but there's more bits that I'll mark down there)**

It was hard to describe what was going on in front of the blonde, but Emma could just  _feel_  the things that Regina concealed with a mask that she often slipped on.

Emma had usually noticed that about the brunette teacher when she was around Emma, alone, she normally never hid her emotions. But there were times when the blonde could see the struggle the internal debate with herself as she tried her best to chase the oncoming feelings away.

It happened whenever her mother was mentioned, for sure. It really was no wonder why she clammed up and rarely ventured into the subject. The subject was a painful one for Regina to discuss, since her mother had left her so emotionally damaged throughout the years of her life. Emma had suspected her mother had said something to her when she was younger that resulted in Regina remaining stone cold with her emotions, though, the blonde could still often see them in her eyes- which told  _everything_. Whatever Cora had done to the brunette teacher when she was a child had certainly ruined her to this day- and that had definitely explained why Regina never wanted to talk about said woman. So Emma rarely pushed, if at all. She knew the past for Regina was a sensitive subject as it was for herself. They both closed up.

When the blonde was around Regina in public- namely school- she had tended to notice that the older woman plastered on the fakest, sometimes even coldest, smiles that Emma had ever bore witness to on her face. Whatever emotion that she had shown was nothing more than rehearsed, a default mask that she threw on to hide the human side of her. This act seemed to have been practiced and perfected to seem authentic. Emma could admittedly see why the others thought of her as a bitch- as the insensitive Evil Queen. Stoic. Stone cold. Cold-hearted. No emotion. No pity. No guilt.

But little did they know, that all they had though she was and what they had made her up to be, was just a mask that saved herself from the emotional torment that she had feared she would be forced to endure if she ever let her true self show.

Because, under that mask wasn't a statue, nor a cold-hearted dragon lady- no- behind that mask was a  _human_ , believe it or not. One with raw emotions that they could not fathom, and one with a heart as warm as the sun and as beautiful as the set of it over a palette of shimmering blue waters. They didn't understand the true feelings that Regina possessed nor the pain that had caused them. They were all cheerfully unaware of the fact that she- like everyone else- was a person who could love and be broken… One that would spend  _hours_  fighting back tears from words that  _they_  had spoken.

Emma- the ever awkward-with-emotional-people girl- appeared to be the only one to see behind that mask. She was the only one that took the time to really read the story that Regina's eyes had told, and the one that had spoken to said she-devil with the utmost politeness that the other students had failed to show. Well, perhaps it wasn't  _exactly_  polite, but she had- from what the brunette teacher had told her- been the only one to take the time to see how Regina was really doing. And that had certainly meant a lot to the brunette.

Emma was certainly glad that she had, those months ago, or else she wouldn't have gotten to know the true side of Regina Mills- the warm, kind, loving woman that she was and hid so well.

Maybe one day Emma will be able to show people how  _wonderful_  Regina really was and open their eyes. She would ease that mask off and hopefully let the hurt go away.

And in her current situation, she wanted to do just that, though, for different reasons. Regina was holding it in, holding whatever that she was feeling back, and locked it away from Emma's prying eyes.

**(Skip if needed)**

Emma could feel a rock settle to the bottom of her stomach as she watched the older woman hesitantly bring her hand up to touch the blonde's left arm. When she had given no reaction, Regina let her olive fingers lightly grace the smooth skin until they came into contact with the "R." She stopped, even when Emma had held back a wince.

"Why would you mar your perfect skin?" Regina whispered, her head lowering to the spot her fingers still hovered over. They were replaced by the brunette's soft, plump lips soon enough, her mouth ghosting over the red lines as if she were willing them to heal with just her breath.

Emma watched, her breath hitching when those lips pressed against her skin, light and tender. It was both painful and pleasurable like many of their rendezvous', but she knew Regina wasn't intentionally hurting her this time and that made it all the more sweet. And the more that she kissed that sore spot, the less it hurt and the more pleasant tingles shot up her arm and throughout her body to ignite the fire in her belly once again.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" The brunette murmured against Emma's arm, her eyes coming into contact with the blonde's.

"No…" The word was a breathless whisper that sent the tense brunette into relaxation.

"Good. I do not wish to harm you any further."

"You… you didn't hurt me in the first place."

"Please, I would like for you to tell my eyes that information." Her grip on the blonde's wrist tightened, bringing it upwards as she straightened out.

She was irritated. Her posture was stone straight and her nostrils flared with heaving breaths. That wasn't a good sign. She rarely ever got angry or irritated with Emma, but when she did, it was the scariest shit that the blonde had ever witnessed. She knew that she had to fix this as soon as possible before she knew exactly why the students called her the Evil Queen.

Besides, she was right. Regina  _did_  hurt her, like she had hurt the older woman.

"Okay, maybe that's…. that's not the exact truth. But… I hurt you, too. I don't want… I just want to take it all back."

Emma awkwardly stroked the older woman's arm to the best of her ability, for she was twisting the wrist that Regina still held at an awkward angle that didn't look humanly possible.

"And you think that I don't?" Regina snapped, far more aggressively than either one had anticipated. "I acted like a damned  _child_  when we could have save ourselves from this heartbreak."

"Gina…" Emma shook her head and seized the woman's face with her hands. "Stop fretting about that. It's over and I know you know that."

"I… I'm sorry…" Regina's whisky orbs filled to the brim with liquid, though never spilling.

"Don't apologize…"

"I wish I could make up my foolishness to you." She stroke Emma's left arm before removing the teenager's hands from her face.

"I thought you were going to do that?" the blonde smiled cheekily, but the air around them had been far too thick, and it had come off rather awkward. "We made up. Now it's time for all the love that was can give to each other."

"Sex…" The brunette sighed, her gaze faltering.

"I-It doesn't have to be that. We could cuddle, if you wish. Or watch a movie. Or kiss. Or just talk. I don't mind if we just sit in silence, staring at each other, with a cup of coffee." The blonde drew her arms to her sides, eyes helplessly watching the brunette.

"I love you, Emma." Regina whispered, her eyelids fluttering shut as she brought Emma's left arm up to her once again, her hands cupping the blonde's.

"I love you, too, Gina." Emma's lips twitched, pulling upwards until she was bursting into a flow-blown smile. This had caused a smile on Regina's own face- small, but still genuine and sweet as hell that still sent Emma's heart fluttering like a trapped butterfly in her chest.

"And… I want to show you just how much I really do." The teacher continued, her voice far huskier than usual. Her sweet smile turned devious as Emma's arm was brought slower to it, her little, pink tongue sliding out to connect with porcelain flesh.

The fire in Emma's lower belly returned to life with a voracious vengeance for desire, and even more so, turning into a desperate, yearning ache as Regina used that little pink muscle to lave across the four cuts on Emma's arm.

"Gina…" she breathed, slightly wincing in response to her delicious acts.

Regina looked up, albeit, her mouth remained, kissing and licking the wound as if she were a canine caring for its owner. Emma's eyes found themselves caught in her brunette lover's, pupils blown wide with desire, they appeared pure black. Her breath caught in her throat when those eyes bore into her, exposing every ounce of lust that her cells were buzzing with, which had now blown into full-on panic as every fiber of her being tingled with excitement.

**(It's safe to read below this)**

"Come with me to the bed." The older woman whispered, sliding her hand down to lace their fingers together; olive entwined with ivory.

"Okay." The blonde followed the short distance behind Regina to the bed, anxiously shifting from one foot to the other as she hesitated. The brunette turned to face her, arms snaking around Emma's neck. And then she was leaning forward, her lips pressing against the teenager's in a fiery explosion of passion that sent Emma's head spinning and her mind momentarily blanking.

It had taken the blonde a few heartbeats to regain herself, but when she did- her lips sliding sinfully against Regina's plump and frantic mouth- the older woman brought Emma's body flush against her own.

Regina's breath, labored, hit Emma's skin like a hot spring's steam, her hands- wild, frantic, and searching- twisted in golden locks, untangling and re-tangling as they tried to find purchase on Emma's flushed cheeks. The blonde's limbs worked to their own accord, though had far more inappropriate thoughts than Regina's own as one landed on the brunette's posterior end, the other working diligently at the buttons to the teacher's blazer.

It was Regina to be the first to pull away from the kiss, panting for air with a smirk on her face.

"Someone is sure eager." Her voice was all kinds of sexy, sending shivers through Emma's body, and that throbbing ache between her thighs only grew.

It was soft, like silk, but husky enough to send her blazer to the floor, her blouse soon following. Emma now knew what impatience was, and she was sure acting on her own impulse, unable to handle the wait any longer.

"I've been horny all goddamn day for you. I did what I was told. Will you praise me?" Emma purred, fingers teasing the black lace of Regina's brassiere.

"Good." Regina murmured breathlessly as Emma's curious digits didn't relent and slipped underneath the fabric, teasing the brunette's already pert nipple. "That means that you're ready to copulate."

"Mhm…" The blonde cupped the older woman's breast, squeezing it as said woman began to unbutton Emma's jeans. "I'm so wet for you."

Regina made a sound of pleasure, the smile on her face telling Emma that she approved. She moved forward, lips inches from Emma's as her fingers tugged on the belt loops of the teenager's tight jeans.

"I'll make it all the more easier as I fuck you lovingly." Regina blatantly growled, pulling those jeans down her young lover's ass and thighs. Emma obediently kicked them off, though, she stared at Regina with wide, green eyes.

"Fuck me lovingly?"

"Yes, dear. Is it so hard to comprehend that I don't always want to have a quickie? Or rough sex? I would like to take my time with you, to love you like you deserve. So, get out of my brassiere and show yourself to the bed."

Emma swallowed thickly at the demand, her heart thundering in her ears. The woman in front of her stared with searing eyes and a face that held no arguments.

"Want me to take my clothes off?"

"That would be nice, dear." Regina shifted away from the younger woman as she retracted her hand and began to undress. Meanwhile, the brunette turned to face the bed and began to pull the covers back, revealing immaculate, black satin sheets.

 _The best kind_ , Emma thought, tossing her shirt to the side before taking her animal print bra off, flinging it across the room with a playful smirk. Regina watched and rolled her eyes upon perching on the edge of the bed.

"What?"

"It's a good thing I like your boobs, you petulant blonde." Regina's smile grew upon eye contact with Emma, her hand somewhere up her skirt to remove the stockings.

"I like your boobs, too." Emma smirked, clambering onto the bed behind Regina to unclasp her bra. "They're pretty and really soft."

"Like a plush toy, are they?" The brunette chuckled, rolling her stockings down as Emma slowly pushed the bra straps off her shoulders; pink mouth attaching to the smooth, tanned flesh.

"Hell yeah. I have a stuffed turtle that reminds me of your tits."

Regina chuckled and stood up, away from Emma's grasp to push her skirt down over her hips. It pooled around her ankles on the floor and she stood there as Emma took in an eyeful. And, oh god, the amount of Regina's bare ass hanging out of those skimpy panties had Emma's mouth watering. Then she turned around, a small smirk on her face when she had noticed where the blonde's eyes were. A soft giggle bubbled from her lips when Emma had tried to appear innocent. The brunette hadn't said a thing as she silently stalked back over to the bed and crawled in on her knees in front of the blonde.

"Boobs…" Emma muttered, eyes somehow had managed to attract to the exposed mounds in front of her face. Quickly, she fixed her eyes on Regina's who had chuckled softly, knowing that whatever her little play-by was, it had saved her from having to admit to staring at the English teacher's ass- who had surely noticed at the time. But, hey, no one speaks, no one tells.

Because, really, it wasn't like it was the first time that she was caught staring- both in the bedroom and out of it. The brunette had taken the liberty to punish the blonde as a mother would her child- bent over the older woman's lap with bare ass exposed for a spanking. It had been terribly arousing for them both, and least to say, the two had done a little more than just spanking when it came to Emma's exposed bottom half.

"Aren't you cute?" Regina smiled, wrapping her arms around the blonde, bringing their bare flesh tightly together.

Emma's breath hitched at the new contact and immediately yearned for more. She pressed closer, if it were possible, and initiated a kiss. Their breasts rubbing together in sweet friction as they moved with their lips, which led to erotic moans echoing throughout the room.

Both groaned against one another's lips, their mouths opening wide until they were on the verge of swallowing each other's face. Regina's tongue, like a wad of cinnamon bubble gum, found its way into Emma's mouth, exploring and tasting every nook and cranny as she had in a familiar inspection. Emma had been quick to greet said tongue, marveling in the sweetness as both caressed each other like old lovers.

The panty-wetting moan that she had given was enough to send the blonde in a frenzy, wanting to hear the same noises come from her brunette lover. She always enjoyed giving Regina pleasure, if not for the single fact of the sounds that she had made when in ecstasy. It was a delicious thing that Emma always found herself craving for more and never ceased to get it.

But it was Regina who had made the first move, lowering Emma's back to the mattress as she slowly crawled on top of her. In their new position, the blonde wrapped her legs around Regina's waist, her lips detaching to pepper light kisses across the darker woman's jawline.

The older woman mewled, her lips slightly parted as Emma continued, proceeding down olive flesh with delicate kisses. Her fingers skidded across Regina's smooth back, which had earned her another delicious moan- shooting straight to the center of her arousal.

God, did she need Regina's touch  _so badly_.

"Touch me…" Emma purred into the brunette's ear, her moist breath sending shivers down Regina's spine, causing her to tremble above the blonde.

"I will," she promised, hand moving from the position beside Emma's hand to skitter anxious fingers down fair skin, tracing every scrumptious curve of her side.

Emma shuddered, anticipation hitting hard as she stare into those dazzling, lustful brown eyes above her. Her breath came in quick gasps when those exploring digits lowered, halting at the waistband of her panties before taking a completely different path up north.

The blonde's muscles twitched underneath Regina's hand, urging for it to go further down into forbidden territory. She groaned, short nails digging into Regina's back.

"Please…" she whimpered, as the brunette only smirked, a teasing gesture- and sinister to say the least.

Regina hadn't replied to her lover's plea, instead she silently slid her hand back down the blonde's abdomen, the anxious muscles in her lower belly burned with excitement, and her hips bucked almost involuntarily for more contact.

"Gina." The name was nothing but a sharp intake of air when the brunette finally had granted her request, fingers slipping underneath the thing fabric of her undergarments to explore the tender flesh that had her grinding against the hand.

"You certainly are  _drenched_ , aren't you, dear?" Regina whispered into Emma's ear, a seductive growl that made her  _tremble_.

"Y-yes… I'm so ready for you." Emma choked her words as Regina let her fingers move across the slick flesh, delving between the folds. The blonde brought her hips thrusting upwards, already selfish for more of the erogenous touch.

A sharp cry echoed through the room as Regina found the blonde's swollen clit, her pressure hard and movements in tight, tight circles. Emma felt as if she were on the ride of a lifetime, her hips rocking in an erotic dance to the pace of the brunette's fingers. She had been waiting for what felt like an  _eternity_  to feel Regina touch her. It had been so agonizing to wait, but so  _good_  to finally have stimulation.

It was slow-loving- as Regina's arm slowed, moving with each rub that sent starts blinding Emma's vision. She had shifted away from that sore little nub to pay attention to the rest of Emma's slit. Her back arched each time those fingers brushed over the sensitive pearl, and with each touch she arched higher and further into her lover's heaving chest; the brunette had moaned from the sudden contact to her sensitive peaks and moved her body to gain the relieving friction that she needed.

"Regina…" Emma gasped, the name rolling perfectly from her tongue as if it were the only appropriate thing to say during this moment because it was just Regina and her and the love that they were making. No other word mattered, and if she were to utter differently, it would feel as if it were a betrayal. A betrayal to her lover who made it known of the love that she harbored, pouring every ounce into each rub, thrust, and kiss.

"My Emma." Regina's breath was nothing but light puffs against Emma's pale flesh. The older woman's lips were hovering over the teenager's neck, twitching with each buck of Emma's hips against her own.

" _Oh, Gina…_ " Emma squeezed her eyes tight when the brunette closed the distance between lips and skin, the digits pleasuring Emma simultaneously thrummed against the aching bundle of nerves.

Emma could see  _stars_ , her entire body feeling as if were about to explode with pleasure from each beat against that very spot that sent her back arching and hips bucking, itching for more contact as she worked on climbing the mountain of ecstasy. Her brain fuzzed over as the teacher began biting and sucking at that spot on her neck, each one sending a shiver down her spine and straight to her core.

"Please…" Emma nearly swallowed her words. "Make me come."

Her cry for release had Regina's fingers working faster, two circling the blonde's clitoris as the other hand quickly tugged at Emma's underwear, ultimately snapping the weak sides apart to plunge two digits of its own into her lover's aching heat, thrusting knuckle-deep.

The brunette grunted, her mind concentrated on giving the pleasure needed to Emma, who was writhing under Regina with moans echoing throughout the room. Her hips ground and rocked at a speed almost inconceivable to the blonde's brain as she focused on climbing that mountain.

And then she was there, her peak hitting hard and fast. Her body slowed its frenzied movements, halting soon after as it shook with pleasurable spasms that sent Emma's brain to a far-off land of pure bliss.

Emma completely blanked as she rode that high, the world around her seemed to slow down, except for the teacher's movements as they continued to pump into her body with delicious reprise, holding out her orgasm as it reached limits that she had never known.

Emma could feel herself landing, coming down hard from the high she wished would never have ended. Her body trembled slightly as she sagged against the bed, Regina's hands pulling away from her pulsing center to give them a good clean with her tongue.

"Fluffy panther kitten…" Emma couldn't help but to mutter. Regina had reminded her of a cat as she licked her hands, as well as that smirk that look like a cat who had caught the canary.

"Pardon?" The brunette paused mid-lick, a brow quirked.

"IT was something I dubbed you a while ago- before we started dating." The blonde blushed, closing her eyes. "And you… reminded me of a cat by licking your hands."

"Well, that certainly does qualify as one of the strangest things that I have heard coming from you." Regina shook her head and proceeded to clean Emma's juices from herself. "And you say quite a few strange things."

"That's because I'm weird." The blonde shrugged, opening her eyes to meet with Regina's. "I love you, Gina."

Regina paused, dropping her arms to her sides. For some reason, the statement had caught her off guard, but the blonde only smiled. Why it had, she didn't know, since they always seemed to say those words at random times, but the soft smile that had melted the entire woman's visage had sent her heart soaring.

"I love you, too, sweetheart." She replied, her tone dripping with honey as a hand found its way to one of the blonde's flushed cheeks.

"I love it when you smile like that." Emma muttered, nuzzling the hand on her cheek. One of her own rested on the back of Regina's and gave it a squeeze. "You look really happy, and when you're happy, you're beautiful- absolutely stunning- though you are regardless. Not saying that you're ugly when-"

"Sh…" Regina smiled, silencing the babbling blonde with a kiss. "I understand what you mean, and thank you."

"Yeah. Of course. I love complimenting you because it's the truth." Emma whispered, pushing a strand of hair away from Regina's face. "And you deserve that."

The brunette's cheeks flared a spectacular red that had Emma giggling, a sweet and lighthearted tune that had Regina wearing a grin.

"And not it's my turn to show you how fondly I think of you, since we're on the subject." The smile on her face remained, but the one on Regina's slightly faltered. It raised to alarm to the blonde, for the older woman's eyes grew darker, her breath suddenly short.

"It only makes sense for what you did…"

"Oh, shut the hell up and kiss me." Regina hissed, diving forward to claim those lips that she had silenced. Emma had no problem kissing her back with great vigor, her fingers tangling in the raven locks that tickled her breasts to an erotic stimulation that only Regina's hair could give her.

Their kiss deepened to a war of tongues, clashing- battling- against one another for dominance. Nails dug painfully into Emma's hips as the brunette's own ground against hers pleasurably, if not painfully.

The blonde grunted, bucking her pelvis up to meet the English teacher's whose thighs soon separated, straddling the young woman's hips.

"Underwear…" Emma gasped, her mouth forming an O as the lace fabric of Regina's panties rubbed against her already aching womanhood.

"Mustn't forget…" Regina shot her a seductive smirk. "Take them off."

"Make me do it all, why don't you." Emma joked, reaching to the older woman's hips in front of her to hook fingers under the scrap of material. She tugged them down as far as they could go in the brunette's position and waited, her eyes never leaving her delicious prize peeking from under black lace. Regina made haste of moving to slip the panties off, quickly returning to her position, this time laying herself on the blonde. Her breath was hot against Emma's face, but her eyes were absolutely seething as they bore into the blonde's own.

 _Oh, she was_ totally _horny._

Emma smirked and ran her hands down the older woman's back, taunting the flesh with the pads of her fingers. Regina's breath came in short gasps as she awaited those digits' next move. With each breath, the blonde's hands moved lower until they gripped the brunette's hips, her own slowly grinding against Regina's center.

"Emma!" Her gasp was so enticing, Emma could already feel her own arousal stir to life once again. This time, though, there was immediate attention given- even if indirectly- as Regina ground her sweet flesh against the blonde, her face contorted with pleasure.

That woman was a masterpiece, an absolute beautiful sight seeing her lover in pleasure. Emma always lived for these moments. It was the way that Regina bit her lip when she it had become so intense, or the way that her eyes wrinkled when shut, to that small smile on her face as it shaped an O, her breath broken into short gasps and delicious moans that she just couldn't hold back always had Emma marveled. She was always so proud that she could make someone feel like that.

"Fuck! Touch me, Emma,  _please_." Her words were a whisper and that's when Emma knew the extent of her need. A hand slid between their bodies as she searched for the center of Regina's arousal. Her other arm wrapped around the teacher's back as she gained the momentum to flip over by rocking her body; soon succeeding with a wide-eyed brunette underneath her. But the surprise hadn't lasted long as Emma worked her fingers into Regina to bring her to climax. And so she had succeeded when the brunette gave a short cry and held onto her teenage lover with a tight grip, body shuddering with pleasure of her inner walls hugged the blonde's thrusting fingers.

As Regina came down from her ecstatic high, Emma pulled out of her to gather the older woman in her arms, cuddling the limp woman close.

"I-I'm sorry…" Regina whispered against Emma's chest, her grip on Emma's arms unrelenting.

"For what, babe?" Emma frowned, not exactly understanding this out-of-the-blue apology. She dropped her emerald gaze to meet with large, brown ones. She tucked the hair dangling in front of those apologetic eyes behind Regina's ears, her heart sinking at the look.

"I… couldn't stop myself. It felt so good."

"What?" Then it clicked, something in the blonde's brain sparked as she gathered what the older woman had meant. "No… no. Don't apologize about that. It's good to feel good and you shouldn't hold back. Besides, there's another round to have, right? I'm already as fuck."

Regina smiled and nodded slowly, her fingers tracing an invisible line down the blonde's abdomen.

"I'll make sure to hold off longer." Emma smirked at the seductive growl that emanated from her brunette lover's lips. She found herself getting pulled onto Regina, those dark, lustful eyes staring at her.

* * *

"So, I've been thinking…"

"Since when did you have the time, dear?" Regina smirked up at the blonde who held her, idly drawing circles on her sweat-slick back. They had just finished another round, totaling in four, and were relaxing in their post-coital bliss, stealing kisses and sneaking caresses to one another every so often.

"No. Like, before that." Emma stopped her movements to roll her eyes. "I meant that I still owe you a dance, you know?"

"And you want to do that now?" The brunette quirked a brow. "Are you sure you'd be able to even walk?" Her eyes floated to a few toys left on the bed beside them. Sometime during their lovemaking session, Regina had pulled them out of her drawer and fucked Emma senseless, and quite literally so.

Emma could already feel the soreness that had settled between her thighs. She was going to have fun tomorrow after Regina's pounding. "Want to have a little Winter Formal of own after the finals?"

"I would like that." Regina smiled, pressing a kiss to Emma's cheek before settling back down, her head on the blonde's chest.

"Awesome!" Emma giggled, stroking Regina's hair.

"I can't wait. It'll be fun and I could wear my dress for you. You should wear that dress."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Wanna do it on Thursday or Friday?"

"Graham's in touch, is he not? Do you have plans to spend time with him and your other friends?"

"Right. Hadn't thought of that… How about Thursday? I can go home and get ready, then walk to your place? Graham will understand and, if I can convince Mary Margaret, I can even stay the night. She'd think I'd be staying with my friends."

"You really shouldn't lie to your mother, dear." Regina scolded, but there was a smile on her face as bright as the sun. "But that would be nice. There's always a spot for you on my bed and a place at the breakfast table."

"I'll let you know what she says." Emma sighed contently, letting her body sink into the satin sheets. They sat in silence, their breathing the only thing that seemed to matter to one another. The gentle rise and fall of her lover's chest had lulled Emma into relaxation, bringing her to a world where nothing mattered.

"Gina?" Emma whispered, fingers combing through her raven looks. There was no response, or at least not one that she could hear.

"Regina?" The blonde rose her eyebrows, her hand sliding through Regina's hair to gently shake her shoulder. Her only response was a light snore.

She had fallen asleep.

"Sweet dreams, my queen." Emma whispered, bending down to press a kiss to the top of the snoozing Regina's head.

* * *

Emma sat in her first period class, anxiously watching the clock as it neared the end of the period. She was absolutely dreading second period and its fast approach. The blonde had been lucky enough that none of the other students in her other classes had found out about her little secret, or at least didn't let on if they had known. Besides, it was only the four assholes in Mr. Spencer's class that were nasty to her, and lucky enough, they weren't in another of her other classes.

Maybe it wouldn't be  _so_  bad. She could handle a couple of idiots' remarks about her sexuality. She was sure of it. Although, that would be if they were to say anything to her upon her arrival. For all she knew they could have forgotten or moved on to better things. And, if not, Regina said that she would come to her rescue at some point during the period. Just hopefully she would come before it's too late.

The bell rang for the end of the period and Emma stood as slowly as she could. She was not at all anxious to head to class. How if they talked about her? How if Mr. Spencer, himself, said something? Would he kick her out? Would he do that?  _Could_  he do that?

As she neared that damned room, limping like a goddamn monster, her stomach knotted up. She could simply just skip the period. But where would she go? And what about Regina? She'd surely rip her a new asshole like that motherfucking pterodactyl.

When she entered the room, no one appeared to notice. Of course, none of the bullies from yesterday were in here yet. The blonde thanked whatever high deity that was the case and slumped into her desk. Her forest eyes skated across the room, eventually landing on the elderly teacher in his desk.

He seemed to be unbothered by the fact that she was in here, if he even noticed her arrival in the first place. That man really should have never been a teacher. He was quite rude most of the time and the students of the school hated him more than they hated Regina- and that was saying something. And if he wasn't speaking negatively and rudely to the students, he was wearing this irritated face like he wanted to take each and every one of them and burn them at the stake. Emma never once saw him shed a smile.

The blonde sighed and averted her gaze from the math teacher to, once again, look around as more students filed in. The four assholes were with the large crowd that had filtered in, all of them wearing a scowl when they took one look at Emma.

Rolling her eyes, Emma pulled out her notebook and flipped it open to doodle, idly waiting until the bell had finally rang. Everyone was here today, by the looks of it. Even Killian, who had seemed to have mysteriously missed first period. Whatever his reason, she didn't care. She didn't care what he did anymore. He lost her trust by uttering her secret to someone, and she suspected that someone was in this class.

Assholes.

All of them.

"Get your study guides out from yesterday." Mr. Spencer announced, taking his place before the class. Everyone silently did as he said, Emma rolling her eyes. She had completed that damned thing last week when he first handed it out. It was simple multiple choice and he only gave completion points for it.

"We're going to go through a few problems, then you're on your own. It's due tomorrow, so make sure to have it complete when you return tomorrow…"

Emma blocked him out and continued doodling on her notebook paper. She already knew how to do most, if not all, the stuff left. And since everyone had decided to keep quiet and not make a scene like yesterday, Emma was able to space off peacefully.

Until.

"Emma!"

"Yeah?" The blonde looked up at the teacher who was glowering over at her.

"Now is a time for studying. You should put that pencil to good use on your assignment instead of futile drawings." The math teacher gestured to the packed tucked away under her notebooks on the corner of her desk. "Do you even have it completed, or had you been wasting your time in my class with art?"

"Yes, it's done. You can check it, if you want." Emma shrugged, pulling the papers out to hold up.

He didn't bother to look through it, let alone take the few steps near the blonde. "Then come up and do this problem on the board if you're so confident to do other things in my class."

"Fine." Emma sighed, sliding out of the desk to gather the electronic marker that he handed her.

As she did the problem with ease, she heard a few whispered coming from behind her. Normally she would pass it off for senseless chatter that they usually had, but there was a put in her stomach as they continued. She had a feeling that those muttered words were meant for her, although, they might not have been. She knew bullies and what they did, and even if they weren't speaking directly to her, it still hurt.

She shook those whispers away and concentrated on the problem, soon finishing it so she could return to her seat. Behind her, she could hear Mr. Spencer mutter, "Very well."

Trying to hide her sly smirk, the blonde shoved her face in the notebook, ignoring the teacher's droning voice as she proceeded to speak. She would have died from boredom if not for Regina. The brunette had lightly knocked on the door before entering, drawing everyone's attention towards her.

Emma smiled. She was wearing the red, long-sleeved shirt with a V-neck that the blonde had suggested she wear. Last night, before the older woman drove Emma home. She had rifled through her closet for fresh clothes. That's when Emma saw the red shirt and pointed out that she had never seen Regina wear it. It was new, she found out. Emma had urged the brunette to wear it today.

And so she did, with black slacks pulled halfway up her abdomen and her black, boot heels. She looked absolutely stunning, as Emma had thought. Hell, she looked even more gorgeous, and dangerously so. One could only handle so much beauty before keeling over in a coma of lust.

"Can I help you, Ms. Mills?" Mr. Spencer stopped his lesson and walked over to the brunette, his eyes nearly popping out of his head at the sight of the woman's cleavage.

_Go on, old man, stare harder 'cause that's all you'll get to do._

"Yes, you  _may_. I am looking for Emma Sw-… Nolan." Regina responded politely. "I need her to come to my class. She'll be gone for the rest of the period, if that's alright?"

"Yes, of course." He grunted, gesturing for the blonde to stand. She had already packed up, her stomach doing flips.

"Thank you." She dipped her head, in which Mr. Spencer smiled shortly before heading to the front of the class.

"Are you ready, dear?" The English teacher asked a nodding Emma.

This almost felt futile, since the students from yesterday hadn't bothered her today- of course, she wasn't exactly complaining. She gets to stare at Regina for the rest of the period.

And the way that the red shirt plunged to show a generous amount of cleavage made it all the better.

But before she could even take two steps towards the woman, one of the girls from yesterday had to open her mouth.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Ms. Mills."

"Pardon?" Ms. Mills blinked. There was an emotion in her eyes that was not foreign, but Emma couldn't quite place it. But she knew where this was going. How dare a student challenge a teacher, Emma didn't know? It would be different if Regina were a student.

"She'd probably take that as some endearment or something and hang all up on you." The girl answered.

"Why on earth would she do that?" Regina furrowed her brows, eyes momentarily moving to the blonde teenager next to her.

"She's a lesbian, you know? It's disgusting. She tried to flirt with me yesterday and I'm sure she puppy-chases every girl in school, especially when they show the least bit of attention to her."

The boy that sat next to Emma nodded, his eyes landing on Regina's cleavage before flicking up to meet brown orbs. "It's true and I bet she fancies you, too. You shouldn't were something so provocative around someone like  _her_."

"I hardly think so." Regina commented, but the girl had interrupted her with the same bullshit that she had said the day prior about her wanting to do obscene things to her.

"Gina…" Emma whispered, her voice barely audible as she moved to stand slightly behind the brunette who looked positively seething. She was unable to utter a word in the blonde's defense, for every time that she had, she had been cut off by hurtful insults, many of which stung Emma's heart. She could only imagine what those words were doing to Regina. But there was just one comment that pushed the English teacher's last button.

"She's an abomination! All gays are abominations. They aren't humans nor are they natural."

Who the fuck was this chick, the head of the goddamn anti-gay committee?

"Excuse me!" Regina snapped, the sudden raise in her voice forcing the girl to shut up and look at her, as well as the rest of the class.

"Don't you agree?" She asked.

"No. I  _don't_  agree with your inadequate excuses." Ms. Mills hissed, her face turning red. Emma swore that woman's head would fucking explode. "I had known Emma was gay for quite some time now and that does not change what my initial thoughts of her were the day we met.

"She is just like each and every one of you. I have not  _once_  seen nor heard her act the way that you have described. This young lady is smart and diligent, like many of my students. It is not my fault that you cannot see that!

"Homosexuality is certainly  _not_  a sin. It is a part of our everyday lives and does not change a thing except for a person's gender preference. It is only natural to be attracted to somebody whether it be a male or a female. It is unfair to bully another human being for their sexuality as it is for their skin color. When it all boils down, we are one and the same; we're hum."

Emma gawked, having the sudden urge to applaud her girlfriend. She was sure that just about every student shat themselves, especially the girl that used to sit beside the blonde- the one who had initiated it all.

"And, Mr. Spencer," Regina turned toward her colleague, brows raised in perfect arches. "I do assume that you will take care of this young lady and her friend for counts of bullying and classroom disturbance? You seem to let them say what they wish without attempting to step in. Really, now, do you wish for me to speak with Mr. Gold about your behavior?"

"No… I'd rather you not. I'll write them up…" The math teacher grumbled, making haste towards his desk to gather the office referral slips.

"Right. Come on, Emma. I need to get back to the classroom." The brunette opened the door, Emma jumping from her spot to quickly follow.

As soon as they were out of the classroom, Emma grinned and playfully bumped into the teacher. "That was awesome. What you said. You really put that bitch in her place."

"It's all true." Regina simply shrugged, heels clicking on the floor as they moved swiftly down the hallway, soon turning into the English hallway. "I'm tired of people insulting us, Emma. I wish they could see it as I do… As many people do, gay or not. But, I suppose we cannot change the world in one day. There will always be bigots out there and there's really no way to change their views, so we must let them be."

"I know, Gina. I just wish everyone would see the big picture, but you're right." Emma sighed, stopping just outside her classroom. She looked up at the brunette, a smile on her face. "But I really appreciate what you said… you know, standing up for me and all."

"Of course, dear. I love you. Why wouldn't I?" The brunette had donned a sweet, melt-y smile on her face, her hand raising to cup Emma's cheek but had stopped short and dropped to her side.  
"I love you, too."

"Good. Now, let's get into class. I'm sure that the students have lynched my room by now." Regina quickly opened the door, allowing Emma in first as she soon followed. "You may sit in my chair."

"Thanks…" Emma blinked at the size of the class. It was quite large, where every desk was filled with a few sitting at a large table. The blonde meekly made her way to the back of the class and dropped into Ms. Mills' rolling chair. It felt  _so_  much more comfortable than those hard desk chairs.

"I do apologize for the interruption." The brunette offered the class, standing in front of her podium. "But it is time to get back on track. Where were we?"

As Regina stood in the front of the room, helping the students study for the final exams, Emma played with the several objects on her desk, a smirk on her face each time that the brunette stopped to give her a disapproving stare. The blonde gave her a sly look as she picked up the older woman's paper cup of coffee and sniffed it; cinnamon coffee. Quickly, as no one was looking, Emma swiveled the chair around and took a swig, letting the warm liquid seep down her throat and tranquilize her body. With a happy sigh, she took another drink that Regina would surely catch her ass for later and set the cup back down.

The English teacher was staring at her, eyes narrowed.

 _She knew_.

Emma burst into a fit of giggles, distracting the class to look at her.

"Sorry."

"Is something funny, Emma?"

"No…" The blonde put on her best poker face and sat back against the chair. "I just thought of something. But, please, continue teaching. Don't let me bother you."

" _Anyways_ , as I was saying…" Regina addressed the class, continuing with the review as Emma sat back and played with her phone, waiting for the bell to ring.

* * *

"You drank my coffee, Emma." Regina stated at the end of fourth period as the blonde headed over to her, dragging her chair behind her. "You drank. My. Coffee."

"Not all of it." Emma sat down, eyeing the brunette. "Only a few sips."

"Enough sips to drain most of what was left. I  _need_  that. It helps keep me awake."

"I'll buy you some later." She shrugged, nibbling on her lower lip.

"It's alright, dear." The brunette chuckled. "I was only joking. It is fine. I can make plenty of coffee at home."

"Sometimes you're a bitch, but I love you regardless." Emma beamed, wrapping her arms tightly around the brunette teacher. This had caught her by surprise, causing her to gasp and jerk, arms trapped under Emma's.

"Well, I am certainly glad to hear that." Regina eventually wiggled out of Emma's grip, a smile on her face as she played with a pen on her desk. She watched the blonde as she had seemed to space out, emerald eyes focused on the pen caught between olive fingers. The brunette stopped, set the item down, and rolled forward.

"What's on your mind, dear?"

"I don't have you for class tomorrow." Emma muttered solemnly. She normally didn't hate the testing schedule of the school, but since she had met Regina, she had suddenly detested it. She knew the periods were broken up, one though three were on Wednesday as the remaining three classes were on Thursday. With this being, the blonde wouldn't be able to see Regina at all tomorrow, unless she were to stop by after the testing was done.

The finals were just a big pain in the ass.

"That's true." Regina sighed, reaching out to take her partner's hand. "But, think of it this way, you get out early. And around lunchtime, when I may or may not be in here."

"You want me to join you for lunch?"

"I wouldn't be opposed. After all, I will be grading the semester exams and that gets rather tedious after a while." Regina gave Emma's hand a squeeze before turning to her desk, staring with incredulous eyes at the papers strewn across it. "I already have so much to get in before next week. I'm falling behind."

"Why?" The blonde let her eyes fall to the papers as well, eyes widening. She hadn't exactly realized how many papers were there in the first place. Most were in neat stacks, probably sorted by class period and the type of assignment, while others were just placed here and there, making absolutely no sense in organization. Emma didn't envy Regina at all. She had  _a lot_  of work to do before the final grades needed to be posted.

"Distraction," she simply replied, grabbing the strewn papers to stack together, making a new pile next to the others. "But if I work without breaking often, I will be able to get them graded and posted."

"I'm the one distracting you, aren't I?" Emma frowned. She had occupied much of Regina's time over the past couple of weeks and she knew it. The blonde was at the older woman's house nearly every day of the week and never got home until late.

"It's not all your fault, dear. Most of the blame lands on me. I'm usually swimming in paperwork around this time. I hand out so many assignments and barely have the time to grade them all when I get them back." Regina plucked her glasses off her face and folded them to set on top of a stack of ungraded writing assignments. "That is why I normally do not have graded study guides at the end of the semester."

"Oh." The blonde nodded, eyes roving once last time over the mountain of papers before landing on the woman in front of her. "I wish I could help you."

"I wish that, too. But it's my responsibility. Don't worry about it. This is what I get paid to do."

"Alright…" Emma frowned, plucking at a piece of string on her pants. "Do you want me to just go home tonight, then? If you need to get your work done, I don't want to bother you."

"You don't have to do that, Emma dear. I quite enjoy your company." The brunette sighed. "But I don't want to bore you."

"I can put on a movie or something." The blonde shrugged. She did that often, as well, when she went over to Regina's house. They didn't always end up sleeping together. A lot of the time it was just the two of them relaxing on the couch with a few snacks and a good movie as Regina graded assignments. Emma did have to admit, though, most times she seduced the brunette enough and they ended up in the bedroom, if they could even make it up there.

"If you promise not to distract me with those lips." Regina smiled, leaning forward to give the blonde a quick peck. "As much as I admit to loving it, I cannot afford to get off track. I must get these graded before the end of the week."

"I promise that I won't try anything. I know that it's important."

"Thank you, my love." Regina smiled, wrapping her arms around Emma in a sweet embrace. She held on, her face buried in blonde curls. "I enjoy it when you come over."

"And I do, too." Emma muttered against the brunette's skin. "By the way, you look gorgeous in that shirt."

"Oh… Thank you, dear."

"I made a good choice, yeah?"

"Indeed you have." Regina chuckled softly and pulled away, looking down at the red material. "Everyone else seems to think so, as well."

"Really?" The blonde narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. Every male that I had ran into today had been staring at my cleavage."

"Who are they? I'm gonna kill 'em…"

"Don't fret about that, dear. It's alright." The English teacher smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her lover's ear. "They can look, but they cannot touch. The touching is your part."

"Damn straight! If I wanna grope you, I can!" Then Emma's hand was on the brunette's breast before either one of them knew it.

And then someone walked through the door.

Regina's breast should have been on fire as fast as Emma had pulled her hand away from it, bringing it to herself as wide, emerald eyes were focused on the intruder. The brunette teacher's head whipped so fast to the newcomer, she could have gotten whiplash.

"Killian!" Ms. Mills gasped, her lips parted as she stared at the bewildered face by the doorway.

Emma shrunk in her seat, staring at the teenage boy with glaring eyes. What the hell was he even doing in here, anyways? Surely he didn't know the blonde dined with Regina for lunch, did he? There was no possible way. She never mentioned it and her friends would have told her if they said anything to him.

Then she remembered, at the beginning of the year. Killian had said something about having a Creative Writing class as well, though it hadn't been the same period as Emma's. He had Ms. Mills? How come neither one of them mentioned it? Or had they and she just spaced out like she normally did?

"I-I can come back…"

"It's fine, dear. What can I do for you?"

"I had a question on the study guide. But, really, I can come back after school." He shook his head, blue eyes darting between Emma and Regina.

"You're not going anywhere!" Emma stood up and stormed over to him, her face scrunched in rage as she neared the boy.

"I-I won't say anything!" Killian rose his arms in defense, looking over at Regina who had warned Emma not to do anything.

But the blonde didn't seem to care, instead, she grabbed the brunet by the lapels of his jacket and hissed. "Who did you tell? Why did you tell them?"

"Tell who what?!" He tried to step back, but Emma jerked him forward.

"That I was gay! I  _told_  you not to tell  _anyone!_ " She wanted so badly to punch him right there and now, but Regina was now standing behind her, muttering in her ear about how it was a bad idea. Emma wouldn't have done it, anyways. She knew that she would get into trouble. Besides, she didn't want to look bad in front of the brunette.

"I  _fucking_  sat there and got bullied yesterday! All thanks to you!"

"I didn't tell  _anyone!_ " He pleaded, his voice raised a couple octaves.

"And why the fuck should I believe  _you?_ "

"I don't break my promises." Killian stared at her, gazing into her eyes. "Didn't you say you had a superpower or whatever to tell if someone was lying? Look at me! I'm telling the truth!"

Emma narrowed her eyes, quick to deny what he was saying to her. But when she met his gaze, there was nothing but pure honesty in them as he spoke. He really was telling the truth. But…

"How the hell did  _they_  find out?"

"The jackass that sat next to you said he overheard us at the dance. I was going to tell you, but you left…" He looked down, Emma's grip loosening on his jacket. "I'm sorry that it got out… I tried to convince him to not say anything, but he wouldn't listen."

"Fucking asshole. I ought to bash his fucking skull in."

"Emma…" Regina's voice spoke from behind the blonde, an olive hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry…" The blonde muttered and looked up at Killian. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you and all that jazz. I really thought that you had betrayed me…"

"I wouldn't. You're a good friend." He offered her a cheesy smile and Emma could feel Regina's grip tighten on her shoulder. "But… uh… Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"What's… What was that that I saw?" Killian's voice was tentative as he spoke, his sapphire eyes looking between the two women in front of him. "I mean, clearly you were groping our teacher…"

"Uh…" Emma looked to the brunette who was now sighed, her eyes closed. She didn't know what Regina wanted her to say about what Killian had seen. Should they tell him that they were dating? She could trust Killian after all… He knew that she would bash his face in if he ever told anyone.

"I'm gay." Regina suddenly said, brown eyes connecting with blue.

"Uh…" Killian blinked, surprised by the news, but also confused that she would say that since it really had nothing to do with why Emma was groping her breast.

"And… we're dating. But you cannot tell  _anyone_. Do you understand?" The brunette added, squeezing Emma's shoulder again.

"You… are?"

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" Emma narrowed her eyes, but he shook his head.

"May I ask how long?"

"Only for a few weeks." Regina answered him this time, a soft smile on her face.

"That's why I was going to pretty much ditch you at the dance." Emma grinned, leaning slightly back against her girlfriend. "But you kissed me."

"Yeah… sorry about that."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, asshole. You should be apologizing to Gina. She saw it." The blonde hissed, crossing her arms.

"Is that what you meant by saying that I successfully hurt two people?"

"You said that?" Regina whispered, a frown on her face.

"Yeah. I was pissed." Emma turned her gaze towards the older woman and kissed her cheek before looking at Killian. "And, yeah, that's what I meant. Everything's better, but don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Mills. I… it was all my fault that I kissed her. She told me not to do anything, but I can be an idiot sometimes. I guess I forgot." He shrugged, looking at the brunette.

"It's alright." Regina whispered, letting go of her blonde lover's shoulder. "You said that you had a question?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to interrupt your lunch."

"No, it's perfectly fine, dear. If that's alright with you, Emma?"

"Yeah. I gotta get our lunch ready, anyways." Emma shrugged, her heart sinking as she moved back to her seat and grabbed her bag off the floor. The other two moved towards the desk as well as Emma watched subtly, digging out the contents of their lunch.

She hated it when there were others around Regina. It was a natural reaction, she assumed, and she wanted the brunette all to herself. She wanted to be as selfish as goddamn possible. Regina was hers, goddammit. But she was also her own person and a teacher, who had to give her attention to her students. But that didn't mean that Emma hated it nonetheless, especially when they were occupying the brunette's time away from her.

Emma huffed and set the sandwiches she made for lunch aside, her eyes never leaving Regina as she helped Killian with the study guide. She wouldn't have the brunette for class tomorrow since it was the start of the semester tests. It sucked, even though she would be spending tonight with her and lunch tomorrow with her, but that was beside the point. She was sure that Killian had her for class tomorrow.

_Holy shit, Emma, since when do you get so jealous over a boy?_

* * *

Thursday seemed to have reared up on Emma quicker than she had anticipated, because here she was sitting in Ms. Mills' classroom, a pencil in hand and a test packet in front of her face. She wasn't at all complaining, though. That meant that she'd have two weeks of no school and plenty of time to spend with Regina, if she wouldn't be too busy with paperwork, and get time as well to spend with her friends before Graham headed back to Boston.

Though, the downside of being in Regina's class right now was that it was the first test of the day, which meant that she still had two more to take (totally in about three more hours before she could come back). There was also another: she had to piss like a goddamn racehorse. And there was still another  _hour_  of testing left. Regina wasn't allowed to let anyone leave the class, especially if they weren't done with the test.

 _Fuck_.

This was going to be absolutely  _agonizing_.

 _Just take your mind off of it, Swan_.

The blonde repeated those words in her head several times, eyes focused on the words in front of her. She still had quite a bit of the test to complete, so that should be able to occupy her mind long enough. After all, it had worked yesterday during her tests. She had been done with all three and in Regina's room for lunch before she knew it.

Speaking of yesterday, Emma had found that Regina's little blow-out had the girl, Anita was her name, at a complete silence during the second period testing. She never once spoke a word about Emma, let alone give her a single glance. It was in that moment did the blonde want the ability to read minds, because it sure as hell would have been amusing to know what she was thinking. Hopefully Regina's words had gotten through to her and the other three idiots.

Emma told Regina about her math class later that day during their lunch. The brunette had not been at all surprised about it, and had laughed even. "That'll show them," she had said, referring to the way that Emma had described the four, their gazes always faltering before they ever reached the blonde, and the way that they had remained quiet- not even to talk with their friends- the entire period.

Even Mr. Spencer had seemed put off. He was mysteriously quiet- even more so than he originally was- and looked at Emma as if he were seeing her in a new light. It was definitely enough to put the blonde off, herself, but it was worth the laugh later because apparently he wasn't only acting strange inside the class, but outside as well.

Regina had ran into him earlier that day, just outside the school in the faculty parking lot. He had seemed a little kiss-ass to her, or so she had explained, apologizing in an unusual manner as he reached for the door the same time she had. Normally Mr. Spencer wasn't one to apologize, nor to hold the doors for people, but he had for Ms. Mills that morning, flashing a rare smile. Regina chuckled at the memory when she had reiterated them, because she knew he wasn't like this. She had come up with the theory that he was being so nice to her as to not tell Mr. Gold about what had happened yesterday. The brunette didn't have any intention on doing it in the first place, but apparently it had amused her enough not to say anything.

She shook her head to keep from laughing again at just the thought of Mr. Spencer using those muscles on his face to  _smile_. It really wasn't all that funny, but Emma just couldn't help it. It had brought her back to yesterday's lunch with Regina, who had managed to snort after laughing too hard- which had ended in the both of them doubled over and gasping for air.

Pushing away her urge to burst into laughter, Emma focused her attention on completing the damned test. It hadn't really taken too much time, for she knew most of the answers from the night prior when Regina had helped her study. So, before she knew it, she was finished with the test, a half hour to spare.

The blonde leaned over in her seat and attempted to gain her teacher's attention by tapping her with the test. Regina's head snapped up, brows raised as she noticed what Emma had been doing. Emma gave her a cheesy smile and muttered, "done."

Regina only shook her head and took the test, setting it off to the side as she went back to grading the paper in front of her. The blonde sighed softly, changing to the correct position with eyes on the clock. She still had half an hour and nothing to do. Emma had forgotten to bring a new book to pass the time, and had, unfortunately, finished the one that was in her bag.

Her phone suddenly lit up, brought to life by a new message. The device had been sitting on the corner of her desk, for Ms. Mills had instructed that was where they should set their cellphones during the test. They  _were_  allowed to use them, but after they handed their exams in, which was a rather lenient thing to do since most teachers didn't allow their students to use their cellphones at all during semester tests.

Emma took the opportunity to check the message, wondering who it might be. Ruby and Graham were the only ones she could think of, since neither of them were in school and were probably bored out of their mind. But, then again, they were  _them_ , and they  _loved_  to sleep in late. It couldn't be Belle, either, since she was probably taking a test in whatever class she had. Her parents wouldn't message her during a school day. So that left…

A line of smiley faces was the sender.

 _Regina_.

What the hell did she want? She was less than ten feet away from her. Emma opened the message.

_**Hi.** _

Emma furrowed her brows and lifted her gaze to the brunette who was now smiling at her, her own cellular device in hand.  _That woman_.

 _I have to pee_.

The blonde sent back, a smirk on her face.

_**I am terribly sorry for you loss, dear. But I cannot allow you to use the restroom.** _

_I know. But I have to piddle so bad I can fucking taste it. So I'm going to complain to you about it to distract myself._

_**But wouldn't that make you have to urinate even more?** _

_Let's talk about something else, then. Get my mind off it._

_**You look lovely today, Emma.** _

_Lovely?_

_**Yes. Whatever is that on your lips?** _

_It's called lip gloss. My lips were a bit chapped this morning._

_**Oh… Well, it certainly makes me want to kiss you.** _

_Does it? How, exactly?_

_**Yes. I want to nibble on them… Clean them of that obnoxious color.** _

_Hey! It's not an obnoxious color!_

_**Honey, it looks like you stuck your face in a vat of fruit punch Kool-Aid.** _

_Rude!_

Emma glared over at Regina who momentarily looked up with a devious smirk.

_**Let me lick it off.** _

_You can't… At least not right now._

_**I want to lick you.** _

_Then go ahead, babe. Do it._

_**I can imagine you right now. On my desk, sitting in front of me.** _

_Oh… God._

_**And I will be kneeling in front of you.** _

_My pants are gone._

_**Yes…** _

_And so are my panties._

Her reply was delayed this time. It had only been taking them mere seconds to reply, and just that amount of time for Emma to get hot and bothered by what was happened. The two of them often did this when apart, and most times the blonde found herself struggling to release the sudden tension that built up. Unfortunately, Regina usually messaged her during school when neither one had anything to do. That was a thing to experience, being in class left breathless at naughty texts from her girlfriend.

And speaking of which, she hadn't replied back yet. Emma looked up to see a small group of students by the teacher's desk, handing their tests to the brunette who ended up stacking them on top of Emma's.

After they had cleared out, did Regina pick her phone back up, which had Emma expectantly gazing at her own.

_**Yes… And what else?** _

_Your jacket is on the floor somewhere._

_**What are you doing?** _

_My legs are open for you. Waiting for you._

_**God… you are so wet.** _

_Yes. And I need you. Taste me._

_**Be patient, my love.** _

_I can't wait any longer. What are you doing?_

_**I'm slowly moving closer to your center, kissing the inside of your thighs.** _

_Oh… You're almost there…_

_**I pull back and smirk at you.** _

_Hey! Not fair!_

_**My hands grip your hips and jerk you forward, closer to my awaiting mouth…** _

_Yes…_

_**I open my mouth…** _

_Yes…_

_**My head nears your center…** _

_Oh, god…_

_**My tongue is now sliding out to taste you…** _

_Eat me…_

_**I dive forward…** _

_Yes…_

_**And lick your slick pussy.** _

_Oh, god! Yes!_

Emma suppressed a moan, her thighs pressing together. Regina was a dirty, dirty woman, especially when it came to naughty messages. And the excitement building in Emma wasn't sated by the fact they were in class. Everyone remained oblivious to what they were doing and it had made it all the more thrilling.

She looked up, smiling when she saw the brunette's flustered face. Her cheeks were heated pink and the blonde could see a small line of sweat on her hairline. Oh, god, was that hot?

_**You taste heavenly…** _

The message was sudden after another long pause, but Emma didn't mind as she got to typing quickly. They didn't have much time left, since class would be getting out rather shortly.

_Fuck me._

_**I smirk against you, my tongue exploring south.** _

_Oh, please! Gina!_

_**I reverse my movements, looking into your brilliant green eyes.** _

_You're going to kill me!_

_**I smirk again and wiggle my tongue between your folds, finding your sensitive bud.** _

_Shit! More! Do it again!_

_**I abide to your request and run my tongue over you clitoris again.** _

_God, Gina, you tease!_

_**Oh, you love it, dear.** _

_But we don't have enough time._

_**If you know me, we do…** _

_Do it, Gina! Make me come._

_**I will make you come in seven different languages, my love.** _

_Your voice alone could make me in eight._

_**I chuckle and aim for my goal, thrumming my tongue against that swollen bud.** _

_Oh, god… I can already feel it…_

_**And I am ever relentless and ambitious, thrusting two fingers into you.** _

_Yes! You got that right… Ohhh, fuck!_

Emma chewed on her lower lip. Her palms were sweaty, her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. Why did Regina have to  _tease_  her like this? She could take that damn woman right here and right now if it were legal because there was  _no way_  that she would be able to survive the next period with the newly formed heartbeat between her thighs.

Especially now, since that damned bell had rang, leaving Emma hanging without the next reply since Regina had been busied with a few more students and their tests. Damn slow test-takers, taking up all of the brunette's time. She should have told everyone to put their tests in a pile on her desk or something, because they only prolonged her replies.

What bitches.

Now Emma was left hot, bothered, and without a conclusion to their sexy messages. The blonde pouted and stood from her spot as everyone filed out of the room. She stayed behind and looked down at the brunette who had been neatly shuffling the tests in a pile to set off to the side.

"Yes, dear?" Regina's husky voice inquired, whisky eyes lifting to meet with emerald. They were  _dark_. She was fucking  _horny_. That made it all the better.

"Thank you for making me aroused." Emma clucked, crossing her arms.

"You're welcome." The brunette smirked deliciously. "But, least to say, that leaves two of us sexually aroused. Perhaps, during lunch, we can take care of that?"

"You owe me big time, babe." The blonde glared at her brunette lover, then at the older woman's desk, landing on the paper cup of coffee that she had with her every morning.

"Don't you dare..." Regina followed her gaze.

"Mine!" Emma quickly snatched the coffee up and took off out of the room, laughing like a goddamn maniac as she made her way down the hall. It was about half full, but she didn't care. She wouldn't even have cared if it were empty so long as she could make an exit like that.

Besides, Regina had left her hanging and didn't deserve that coffee.

Or Emma just wanted to act childish.

Either way, she left her statement on the bewildered English teacher. She was good and satisfied- and she had a half full cup of coffee to enjoy during her Government test.


	19. Unexpected Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all for your lovely reviews and feedback for my last question! I guess I don't have as much smut as I had feared!
> 
> I present you wonderful readers with a new chapter! I do not have any warnings, so it should be safe. But I do have a bit of a surprise in here that I hope would make sense in this story. The idea came to me a few days back. You'll know it when you see it. :) But I won't keep you long with my rambling author's note so go on and read! I hope you enjoy and reviews are always appreciated! Thank you!

"Since when do you bring beverages to school?" Belle asked as Emma spotted the chair next to her, setting her bag on the floor and the stolen cup of Regina Mills' coffee at the corner of her desk.

She plopped down into the desk seat and gave her brunette friend a wry look, one brow quirked as emerald eyes stared down sky blue. "Since I felt like it."

"Whatever you say," the brunette rolled her eyes, returning the look before setting a reading book on the corner of her desk. There was still a few minutes before the bell rang, since they gave extra time in the passing period for restroom breaks and the like.

Emma sighed softly and grabbed the paper cup to take a sip, her eyes flittering closed as the lukewarm liquid slid down her throat- sweet and spiced with cinnamon. She wondered why Regina took her coffee this way. But, of course, who was she to judge when she had it on her hot cocoa? Besides, cinnamon was good for your heart, or so she was told. She loved the stuff, so why should she protest? It was free coffee after all.

When the blonde looked up after setting the cup down, she noticed Belle watching her. "Did you get your cinnamon cocoa to go?"

"Why are you so obsessed with what I have in that cup?"

"I'm not obsessed. Just curious." The brunette shrugged. "You don't have to tell me, I guess."

"I won't." Emma smirked. She knew how curious the bookworm got when she was not told what she wanted to know. It would bug Belle probably to the point of taking drastic measures. Or by taking the blonde's paper cup to give it a whiff before setting it back down.

"Cinnamon," she nodded. "Go figure, Ms. Cinnamon Freak."

"Excuse me if I like cinnamon in my coffee and cocoa." Emma defended, the bell ringing as she took the cup to hold close with a scowl on her face. Was it such a shame to like a little bit of cinnamon in her beverages? She knew that not many people shared her opinion, but that didn't mean she needed to be judged about it.

Though, it was a rather funny thing when she first arrived here in Storybrooke to move in with the Nolans. They had taken her to Granny's on her first day with them and introduced her to the perfect cocoa with the cinnamon on top. Mary Margaret had ordered it, piquing the blonde's interest when she noticed the dusty sprinkles of the spice on the whipped cream. Curiously, she had asked the pixie-haired brunette if she always enjoyed her cocoa with cinnamon, making a comment that she, too, had enjoyed it that way. That was how they had broken the ice after a long, awkward hour beforehand.

After that, the three of them had easily talked idly with one another, since Emma was unwilling to answer any questions about her past that they had thrown at her. She was always a closed-up girl, and it was hard to break down the walls that she built up around herself. Why should she have believed that they would keep her when all the other foster families had sent her back within a year's time? What would be the use of opening up to a couple of people when they would probably just betray her in the end like everyone else?

But she had been too quick to judge and oh so wrong. These people were genuine. They were sweet, kind, caring, and they were quite concerned with the erected walls around Emma that she hid behind every moment of the day. It had taken  _months_  for them to finally pull loose a brick and gain some information from the blonde, and what they had learned barely skimmed the surface of the vast ocean of secrets that she kept.

Though, by picking out those few bricks that they had, it allowed Ruby and Belle to play a part in the blonde's life. She allowed herself to befriend the two of them when she was in Granny's one day, a few months after her arrival. It was Ruby who had initiated the conversation, since she had been working as a waitress. Soon, her friend had popped over and sat with the two, and the three of them seemed to hit it off quite well.

It had taken months for the blonde to open up like she had with her new foster parents to the two of her new friends. And then some. She had told the girls things that she hadn't even told her parents, one of them being her sexuality. When she had explained that to Ruby and Belle at the time and told them to not utter a word to Mary Margaret and David, they had tried to urge her to tell them. But that only struck fear in the blonde and she closed up once again. She didn't want to relieve the memories so well burned in her mind from her previous foster families that had found out her secret. She soon found herself back into the system with even more mental and physical scars than she had originated with.

They hadn't suggested it again after her long silence. Emma didn't know if they understood the depth of the emotions that whirred to life in those emerald eyes, but they did understand not to pressure certain subjects on the blonde, because her open book snapped shut quickly when they did.

That's what she had tried to do with the Ms. Mills subject, as well. It was a mistake on her part for firstly telling them, or Belle, of her crush on the Creative Writing teacher. And now that the two of them were dating, Regina and she, the blonde couldn't afford to endure their taunts about her amateur crush. No. Because she would break, and she was sure that she would if pushed hard enough, and accidentally expose herself. She would expose herself and they would probably judge because it wasn't a juvenile infatuation anymore, no, it was a full-fledged relationship with  _an older woman_. A woman that was more than twice her age and surely to be controversial. Her friends would probably be disgusted. Crushes were one thing, but what they had was another.

Emma shook the thoughts from her head. She needn't worry about her friends' opinions on her relationship with Regina. As far as they were concerned, her crush was through, and there was nothing going on. They didn't need to know, and they probably never will find out unless the two of them were to be together for years to come- which, the thought in itself, had butterflies fluttering around in Emma's stomach. The thought of being with the brunette for that long had the blonde terrified, but at the same time she felt  _excited_.

She was just a hopeful teenager, though, and she was in the haze of love right now, their relationship still rather new. As far as she knew, their relationship could only last another month. She shouldn't give her hopes up for something like this. Regina might wake up one day and realize where she's at and what she's doing and wonder why the hell she was in bed with someone that's the same age as people she had grown up with almost twenty years prior.

The butterflies perished, dropping to the bottom of her stomach with the weight of a rock. She didn't want to think about that scenario. No. Not at all. It only crushed whatever hope that she had for a future with the older woman- if there was one. Which only reminded her that she still needed to talk with the brunette about that. She had been pushing it off, though, thinking that it might be too early to discuss such things. After all, they were just testing these waters, only being a few weeks into their relationship.

The thoughts combined with trying to answer the questions that she barely had knowledge of made for a minor migraine. She could feel the pain start behind her left eyeball and it seemed to be relentless with however Emma tried to sooth it. The pain only seemed to expand, extending to her forehead and a stiffness in her neck that couldn't be relieved with her urges to crack it. Oh, god, did she hope that it wouldn't progressively get worse throughout the rest of the school day. She needed to get medication in her system to calm it before then or else she wouldn't be enjoying a night with Regina, but with just a dark, cold room.

Perhaps she could stop by Regina's classroom before heading to art. It may be out of her way, but she had the time to spare. Although, it would gain some questioning from Belle when she parted ways with her friend. It was a risk that she would be willing to take, just to get rid of this nasty head pain.

Belle was the first to be done with the test, and Emma was the first to notice as the brunette slid out of her seat with a proud smirk. How she could get finished with that damned thing, the blonde didn't know. She, herself, wasn't exactly stupid and often times finished tests before others, but government was just her weak point. It might not have been if she were to have a different teacher, seeing as to how Mr. Glass barely tried to help them through this semester. Luckily, that was just it. All she had was this semester and she was able to move on. Now, it was passing this exam that left her fate hanging in the air. If she didn't pass, she'd have to endure another semester and would have to drop a class already scheduled for the second half of the year.

So she was rather wary as she got up herself several minutes later with that test packet, anxious as hell about the answers that she put. For all she knew, half of them could be wrong and she could be doomed for failure. Whatever studying that she had tried yesterday with Regina didn't help all too much. She just  _blanked_  upon looking at the questions.

"How do you think you did?" Belle asked as the blonde made her way back to her desk, sitting next to the brunette.

"Horribly." The blonde muttered. "I bet I didn't pass."

"Oh, ever the optimist, Emma." Belle grinned.

To which Emma responded dryly, "We all can't be smart like you, Belle."

"I struggled with it."

"With, what, one problem?" The blonde grabbed the forgotten cup of coffee and took a swig, the contents now room-temperature. It wasn't the best, but it still tasted rather yummy.

"With most of it. I studied, but that didn't seem to help. He didn't really teach us all that well, so none of it stuck." Belle whispered, chancing a few glances at their teacher who sat in front of his computer, blatantly ignoring the students as they turned their tests in.

"I know." Emma sighed. "I'm just glad that we're done with this class. It was nice to have the free time, but hell when we had tests over shit we don't know."

"I must admit that it's not my favorite class."

"Right there with you." The blonde agreed, finishing off the rest of the coffee. "Hey, Belle?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know when we get out of here?"

"In about twenty minutes."

"Oh, god." Emma leaned back against her chair and glanced towards the clock on the far side of the room. "I'm getting a goddamn migraine. I want this day to be over with."

"Just one more class. Another hour and a half."

"Ugh…"

"Think of it this way, Em, it's art. All we're doing is working on our final project, and you're pretty much done, aren't you?" Belle cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah." Emma nodded. "But I'll be bored as hell for the entire thing, then, because I finished my book." The blonde scowled at herself for that. She hadn't thought to replace it this morning. For some reason, she had completely forgotten about her art class and the time she'd spend doing nothing in there, since all she had left was a few details on the final project: a collage of wolves painted on the backdrop of a forest and a glorious full moon. She had made it for Graham, promising that she would make something in art for him upon taking the class and also as a thank you for the whole Boston and Regina secret and cover-up.

Graham loved wolves as Emma loved swans. It was their symbols, or so he liked to say. It was something that represented each of them in their own ways. All four of them had their own, though, Ruby said she also enjoyed wolves, but never elaborated.

He admired the wolves' packs and their loyalty to one another, which equally represented his own loyalty to his friends. And he had also said that they were magnificent creatures and looked badass, especially when they bared their teeth. Emma couldn't help but to giggle at that comment, then, finding it amusing since she had seen the man himself bare his teeth in a similar way when angry. The blonde could definitely see a resemblance of sorts with him. Graham reminded her that of a wolf the way that he had explained, and his scruffy and scraggly appearance helped as well.

Emma had told him her reason for liking swans. Her last name contributed little to her admiration for the bird, though it was a part of it that reminded her to not one-hundred percent trust another person. He seemed almost hurt by the statement, but soon understood as he took into consideration her past that she had shared with him. But the reason that she liked them was for their grace and beauty, much as he liked wolves for their appearance as well. She felt that she could relate to the aggressive swans, ones that looked pretty on the outside but, if given a wrong look, would charge after the challenger with great ferocity. Graham, of course, had laughed at her statement because it was painfully true.

Regina, when Emma had the same discussion with the older woman and told her that, had also laughed. She said, "I could definitely see you chasing after someone for giving you the hairy eyeball, dear. You were nearly swanning after that couple in the restaurant in Boston." It was true, no matter how much Emma had denied it. She wanted to pluck their damned eyes out for what they had said to her girlfriend, they pissed her off so bad. But that was in the past and there really had been no use fretting over it again.

When the blonde had asked the brunette about what her favorite animal was, she answered with a panda. Emma curiously asked why, and if it were to be a symbol that represented her, Regina grinned and answered with, "Because they are adorable. I suppose they can represent me in a similar way since you often times tend to call me adorable." And Emma had called her adorable again, just for the cute little smile on her lips after explaining. They laughed over that, Regina just shaking her head like she always did when Emma made that comment. Then they laughed over the pairing of a swan and a panda together and how absurd it would be if they were to actually be together in the wild. "They'd have some pretty fucked up looking offspring," Emma had commented, snorting with giggles as an image of a panda with white feathers, wings, and a beak came into mind.

Emma had admitted to Regina, after they had finally calmed down after the blonde shared her input on the offspring of a panda and a swan, that she had a guilty pleasure in liking turtles. "They're adorable," she grinned. They also, in a way, reflected how she acted with outside forces, wanting to hide in her shell and only come out when coaxed into safety. Regina was her safe place, as she had told her, because had never opened up so much to someone. It felt strange how easily she could talk to the brunette. She felt like an open book. She felt  _exposed_ , but she didn't feel the need to cover up. For some reason, when being with Regina and talking to her, she felt this overall trust, soothing her usual frazzled nerves when speaking of sensitive subjects. Regina was like a goddamn angel. With one touch, she could have the blonde melting in her arms. How did that work?

"Emma, are you coming?" Belle was standing beside the blonde as she still remained in her seat. Taking a glance around, she noticed that the students were now filing out of the room. The bell had rang and she had apparently been too caught up in thought to have heard it.

"Yeah…"

"Alright. Come on, then." The brunette urged, walking towards the door. Emma quickly followed, empty paper cup in hand.

"Hey, I gotta go get some medicine before my head gets worse, if that's alright."

"Well, hurry." Belle smiled. "I'll be waiting for you in the class."

"I know." The blonde chuckled and parted ways with her friend, heading down the opposite hallways as they hit the bottom of the stairs. She made haste to get to Ms. Mills' room, cursing silently at the people blocking her way. They were so goddamn slow and there were too many to be able to go around the ones in front of her.

Eventually she had found herself turned into the English hallway and quickly made her way to her destination. There were a few students already inside, she had spotted when she entered the room and made her way to the brunette sitting in the teacher's desk. The blonde stopped beside her, a smile on her face as surprise chocolate orbs gazed up, wide and curious.

"Emma?"

"Give me drugs." Emma whispered, laying the palm of her hand on the surface of the desk as she put her weight on it. "I have a migraine and I know you have pills for it."

"Can it not wait?" The brunette muttered, trying to keep her voice unheard by the students already in the class.

"No. It'll only get worse and I have to do art for an hour and a half. Besides, I'm already down here and I still have to get back."

"Emma, what will I do with you?" Regina shook her head upon a sigh and pushed her chair back to grab the purse that was tucked under her desk. Quickly, she rummaged through the bag and pulled out a small bottle.

Emma watched as she dug out two pills and handed them over, the blonde took them immediately with a grateful smile. "Thanks. Here's a gift of gratitude." She sat the empty paper cup on the brunette's desk. "I have to go."

"Yes. Do you need a pass?" Regina eyed the cup before lifting her gaze to meet with Emma's, her head tilting slightly to the side.

"That would be much appreciated." Emma nodded and the brunette got to it, digging out a small pad of papers to write up a pass for the blonde. After she had finished, she poked the cup with her pen and shook her head.

"I thought so."

"What? You expect me to  _not_  drink it?"

"Just go to class, you coffee whore." Regina's words were so quiet, Emma herself could barely hear them. Good thing, though, because the class had filled up rather quickly.

"Yeah. Have a good day,  _Ms. Mills._ " Emma smiled softly when she met brown eyes. She had the sudden urge to just bend down and give those curved lips a quick peck, but she had to resist and quickly backed away to make sure she didn't do just that.

That woman was so goddamn hypnotizing and mesmerizing and it was almost impossible to resist temptation with her. With every look that they shared, Emma found herself  _wanting_. She found herself wanting to be embraced, to be touch and caressed by those soft, delicate hands and those surprisingly strong arms. She wanted  _Regina_. She  _needed_  her. Emma's entire being just ached to be touched by the lover that had become so familiar with the map of her body. And after those messages that they had shared, and that she had suddenly been reminded of, had her desiring to climb that mountain of pleasure with Regina, wanting to come undone by her hand.

_Fuck, how in the hell am I going to survive another two hours?_

"Thank you. You have a good day, as well, Emma." Regina called out to the blonde as she started to head towards the exit.

Emma smiled and nodded, pushing the door open. "Thank you."

After Emma had managed to make it to her art class, she had obtained her painting and what was required to complete her touch-ups to it, and took her spot next to Belle. The brunette looked up from her own work with a large smile.

"Did you get your drugs?"

"Yup." The blonde nodded and began to work on the project. On her way to the class, she had time to think about what she was going to do after finishing up with the painting. She figured that, since she had been thinking about animals and such earlier, that she would paint a picture of a panda for Regina. It would sate any boredom that she might have and would make for any excellent gift. The problem, though, was that she wasn't sure if it would be dry by the end of the day. She was going directly home after school, but that would still mean that she had to carefully handle the painting along with the wolves one and make sure that they don't mess up one another.

She'd figure something out, she was sure, by the end of the day. Right now, she wanted to concentrate on finishing her final project so Ms. Boyd could grade it before she left.

It wasn't long before she had finished with her main project before moving onto the panda that she had planned to paint on a smaller piece of paper. Though, she had somehow managed to convince herself enough to start this new project out like her old one, and make a collage of pandas on a new, larger paper that would no doubt have to be finished at home. Belle hadn't asked what she was doing, but had given her a few curious glances. It was a good thing, since Emma didn't really know how to explain what the hell she was doing or why she was drawing pandas on a paper. She didn't want to say it was for Regina, most definitely, because there was no doubt that the brunette would rush off to Ruby and flap her lips about the flame that reignited.

She was halfway through drawing out her plans before the bell had rang, indicating that class was over. Sadly enough, she was unable to get a good start on the project as she had planned, but she wanted it to be  _perfect_ , especially since she was planning on giving it to Regina.

Emma grabbed both projects and headed for the door, Belle following behind her.

"So, what are your plans for tonight? Ruby, Graham, and I are going to the movies." The brunette asked, carrying her large painting in one hand and a book in the other.

"I was planning on staying home and working on this." Emma showed her friend the panda drawing and smiled. "But tomorrow I plan on hanging out with you guys and staying over for a few nights."

"You better. We've missed you." Belle frowned.

"Sorry… I just haven't really been feeling like going out lately. But, hey, I'll be making up for it this break." Emma smiled and playfully bumped into her friend. "I thought you'd like the alone time with Ruby, though."

"Shut up." She was quick to blush, her entire face turning red.

"Is there something going on between you two? And, don't worry, I'm not going to judge. It's cool if there is." It was silent for a few moments as the two of them headed outside, Belle stopped, though, before they could get to the sidewalk. Emma quirked a brow and turned around to face the petite brunette. "Belle?"

"If I say yes will you shut up?"

"I knew it!" Emma pumped a fist in the air and giggled. She always had her suspicions about the two and now that the brunette had proven them correct, she felt elated. She was happy for the two of them. They seemed to be perfect for one another.

"Don't say anything about it. Ruby doesn't want anyone to know." Belle continued to walk and Emma followed beside her.

"I won't. I'm glad that you guys have each other. She seems to make you happy." Emma commented, her head turned to look at the rosy-cheeked teenager.

"She does."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" She asked. It was quiet as they headed down the sidewalk, all too soon arriving at Granny's where Belle would depart. The two of them stopped in front of the diner, Emma staring at the brunette with raised brows.

"I don't know. I guess we just… We don't really want it out there. And we weren't really certain of things."

"I understand." Emma smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you two and you have my full support."

"Thanks…" Belle fidgeted in her spot, shifting from foot to foot as she shot anxious glances at the diner. Emma looked up and spotted Ruby through the window, though she was waiting a table.

"I guess I should let you go and see you tomorrow?"

Belle nodded and gave the blonde a relieved smile. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, Em." She quickly turned and sauntered down the path to the door of Granny's and entered, leaving Emma to make her way home.

Once the blonde had arrived to her loft, she quickly dropped everything on her bed and began to rummage through her dresser for clothes to take with her for the weekend. Mary Margaret had agreed to let Emma stay the night with her friends over the weekend, and then some if she had felt like it since Graham would be in town for a while longer and school was on its winter break.

Of course, the blonde had other plans tonight to spend it with her friends. She had promised Regina that she would come over and they would have the dance they never had the chance to do. She would be staying over for the first time at the brunette's house, which, as she thought, would be no different than any other night that she spent there except for the fact that she needn't be home later.

Emma had also talked with Graham about her plans tonight and he had agreed to pass on whatever excuse that she had made up and hold to it.

She officially had the day with her brunette girlfriend to do whatever they wanted. Though, unfortunately, they would be unable to go out. Being stuck in this small town sucked at times, for they had to keep their relationship from the public and were secluded to the teacher's manor. Emma didn't mind most of the time, but it bugged her sometimes when she wanted to do something more with Regina. She wanted to take her out to a restaurant- or in their case, it would be the other way around- and flaunt her gorgeous partner. She was absolutely  _proud_  of Regina and not at all ashamed.

Emma could only wonder what they were going to do with their day, which was still so young. It was only now nearing one o'clock.

Regina had planned on making the blonde and herself lunch, which was why Emma had skipped out of school with Belle instead of heading to the teacher's room at the end of the day. So that would be a start of their plans, and Emma still wanted a dance with the brunette as well. She also had a little something planned that had popped into her mind just a day prior upon listening to a song. She wanted to sing to Regina, of course, not seriously. It would be meant as a joke, since she believed that she sucked terribly when it came to using her voice.

The rest of the day, though, after that would be a complete mystery. They'd just have to find a way to occupy it. Emma could definitely think of a way or two.

"Are you leaving so quickly?" Mary Margaret's voice sounded, startling the blonde from her work of stuffing her backpack with clothes.

"Uh… Yeah. I was planning on eating lunch there." She looked over to her foster mother, a half-smile on her face. "I'm sorry. I must have forgot to tell you."

"It's fine, honey." The pixie-haired brunette made her way into the room, crossing over to the blonde's bad. Her eyes roved over the collection of items on Emma's bed, landing on the painting that she had complete earlier that day. "What's this?"

"Oh. That's for Graham." Emma smiled, stuffing the rest of her clothes into her backpack before zipping it up. "He likes wolves and I needed something to paint for a final project in my art class. I figured I'd give it to him before he leaves."

"That's nice of you, Emma." Mary Margaret smiled, giving the painting one last glance. "It's really good."

"Thank you." The blonde flushed and marched over to her closet to dig out the dress that Ruby had given her. She had planned on wearing it to Regina's house for their dance, as she had asked the brunette if she would change into her dress as well to make it feel more dance-like.

Though, the problem now was Mary Margaret. How would she get out of the house without her foster mother questioning her about the dress? And what excuse could she come up with? The blonde rarely dressed in formal attire as it is and the schoolteacher knew that.

"Do you know when you plan on returning home?"

"No. But I'll let you know." The blonde replied, pulling the thin, black fabric off its hanger. "It'll be before Christmas, don't worry."

Mary Margaret nodded and smiled. Emma knew how much that woman valued Christmas and spending it with the family. Her first Christmas here was nearly suffocating with all the gifts, hugs, food, and holiday music echoing through the apartment. She had gotten more gifts on just that one day than she had in her entire life and if felt rather overwhelming. At some point, she locked herself in the bathroom and cried over how  _different_  these two were from the rest of the foster parents that she had had in the past. They made sure that she got everything that she wanted and had made sure that she was happy.

They had done more for her than anyone else had in her lifetime and it felt amazing. She had felt like she finally had a home and a family on just that one day. Of course, she had no hopes that her life would run so smoothly, because this would be their first impression on her and they had probably wanted to make themselves look good. They could have just been like any other of the "happy" and "pleasant" parents that she had, and suddenly turn on her when she had least expected it.

But the thing had been was that they were different. They didn't do that. They had showed her kindness each and every day that she spent there and it felt like she was a part of a real family, and not just on that one day. They were the greatest gift of all, not the fancy technology that they gave her or the new clothing. She wouldn't care if she got any of that, just so long as she had them and their unadulterated  _love_.

Even though she hadn't necessarily gotten used to the whole family spending time together thing, especially on holidays, she did want to spend those days with David and Mary Margaret. She always made sure that she would be home for the two of them, like she did this year. She had planned to be back the day before Christmas Eve, which would be a little less than a week away.

"Alright…" The brunette gave her a sad smile. "Be safe, okay? And have fun. I love you."

Emma nodded and returned the smile. "I will. I, uh, I love you, too."

"I'll leave you to it, then." She nodded towards Emma's backpack which lay on the bed, a few items that the blonde had planned on sticking inside were strewn about on her bed.

Emma nodded as the older woman turned to leave the room, leaving the blonde to finish up her packing and quickly change clothes. As soon as she slipped on her boots and donned her red, leather jacket, she was out of the loft and on the street. Off to Regina's house she went, ear buds in as she listened to the song on repeat that she planned on singing to the brunette. She knew the lyrics for the most part, but it was never safe enough to refresh herself. Besides, it beat the sound of cars sputtering by and the voices of people around her.

Though, she couldn't drown out the buzzing in her bra. Blinking, she quickly snatched her phone out of its little hiding place and woke it up to find that she had a new message from Regina:  _ **Can you pick up a chocolate bar, please? I'd be happy to reimburse you.**_

Chocolate? Why the hell did she want Emma to get chocolate? Whatever her reasoning, Emma didn't care and typed back  _Okay_  before changing her direction towards the small grocery store. It wasn't necessarily out of her way, anyways, and a hell of a lot closer than the candy shop somewhere behind her.

Crossing the street, she made haste to get into the store and purchase the item that Regina wanted. Shifting her messenger bag on her shoulder as she walked in, the store clerk, Clark, gave her the hairy eyeball as if she were in there to take something.

She took offense to that. Sure, she was something of a street kid, especially when she was younger, and had often times stole from stores in order to feed herself. But it wasn't like she was doing that anymore. She had money.

With a subtle scowl, she made her way to the back of the store where the candy aisle was located and searched through the brands of chocolate. Then her eyes landed on it. A quite large bar of chocolate with large print letters;  _Apollo_.

Regina didn't exactly specify what size of bar she wanted, and maybe if Emma got the big one, she would be willing to share? Yes, because chocolate suddenly sounded so yummy and her complaining stomach agreed with a low rumble. The blonde snatched up the giant bar of chocolate and headed to the checkout, slapping it on the counter as she dug around in her pockets for the two dollars that it cost.

"Thank you. Have a nice day." The clerk said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. The blonde returned it, muttering, "you too," before she walked out the door to head towards Regina's house once again.

It was freezing as hell out today, the wind was cold and bitter and whipped against Emma's face with an icy vengeance. She absolutely hated winter and she knew that she could continue repeating that over and over and never change her opinion. It wouldn't be so bad to live somewhere where it would actually be warm year-round, or at least not as bitter in the winter as it is now. Just so long as she could get out of this freezing weather.

Thankfully, Regina's house wasn't far, only a block more away. She could see the large structure and all its glory. Warm, warm glory that she would soon be basking in.

Before she knew it, Emma was pushing the gate open and walking up to the teacher's front door, her arm already extended to knock on the door.

"It's freezing out here!" she shouted at the door, bouncing from one foot to the other to keep herself somewhat warm.

The door soon opened, Regina's face appearing on the other side of the threshold. "Hello, dear."

"Oh, god…" Emma blinked, almost instantly forgetting about the nipping air. Regina looked absolutely  _stunning_  in her dress. It wasn't the same one from the night of the dance, but that didn't matter much because,  _holy fuck_. The damned thing that she wore was skin-tight and clung to her every curve. The fabric was colored a deep blood red and generous enough to expose a large amount of Regina's cleavage and her long, tanned legs. It was crazy the types of dresses this woman had. It made Emma envious to think about who had seen her in these spicy dresses.

"See something that you like?" Regina smirked, her crimson lips curving into something sinister. "Why don't you come in? You must be  _freezing_."

"Oh, I don't know if I am, now…" The blonde muttered, following her brunette lover inside. She kept her eyes all but on Regina, enjoying each step that she took with a sway of her hips. Her ass was like two scoops of ice cream. She could just dig her hands into them and desired to do so with each passing moment.

"Why don't you settle your things in the room?" Regina asked, smiling softly at the blonde when she turned around at the bottom of the stairs. "I will get lunch ready."

"Sounds good. I'm starving." Emma smiled. She then remembered the candy bar that she held in her hand, no doubt frozen from the ice box she called outdoors. "Here's your chocolate."

Regina's eyes widened at the sight of the large chocolate bar, but she shot Emma an appreciated glance and plucked it from the teenager's fingers. "I very much appreciate this, Emma. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing. It's fine." Emma shrugged, her eyes on the candy bar in her lover's hand. She absently licked her lips at the thought of melting chocolate in her mouth and how sweet it would be.

"You're not getting my chocolate." Whisky eyes were narrowed as they stared into forest ones, a warning look flittering through them. "I will rip your arm off if you dare touch it."

"Make sure it's not the one that you like." Emma muttered, wiggling the fingers on her right hand. "Or you'd be one sad panda."

"Oh, indeed I would be. But I would be even more so if you were to take my chocolate."

"I won't steal it, Gina, don't worry." Emma smiled and gave her cheek a quick kiss before hopping up the stairs. She could head the older woman laugh before she, too, moved towards the kitchen.

The blonde quickly dropped her bag off in the master bedroom, setting it on the chair by the fireplace. She shrugged her jacket off as well before heading back downstairs to join Regina.

Emma played with her phone, tossing it from hand to hand as she found herself on Regina's immaculate leather couch. They had finished lunch just moments earlier and now were both resting on the couch after the light meal of a Greek salad that Regina had whipped together.

Now, normally Emma wasn't so fond of eating such healthy things, finding them to be rather tasteless. But with all the added ingredients, such as onions, olives, and her favorite, the feta cheese, she was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted rather delicious.

Regina walked into the room now, wearing a smile on her face as she gazed down at the blonde with sparkling coffee eyes. "Are you ready for our dance, darling?"

"Now?" Emma quirked a brow, looking up at the brunette. She quickly stood up, though, her stomach doing flips with angst. The blonde had been looking forward to dancing with her girlfriend and now that it was happening, she was positively  _trembling_  with excitement.

"Yes, of course."

"I figured you'd want to do it after dinner."

"Why wait?" Regina smiled. "I would like to relax for the rest of the day."

Emma shrugged. There really was no argument with that.

"Can I do something before we dance?" The blonde reached up to play with a lock of the older woman's dark locks.

"Of course, my love." Regina smiled absently, blinking when the blonde pulled her hand away.

"I want to serenade you." Emma bluntly stated, pulling her phone from her bra. She shot Regina a smile after the woman quirked a brow.

"Serenade me?"

"Yes." The blonde pulled the top of her dress up before sniffing and searching for the song that she had in mind. "This goes out to my beautiful former creative writing teacher."

Regina's eyes narrowed, her lips pursing as her face scrunched up in confusion. Her visage had clearly represented the words  _what the hell?_

Soft music started to flitter from Emma's phone, which had the blonde swaying slowly to get into the mood of the song. A wide smile was on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. She wasn't really serious about this. She had meant it to be a joke because, really, Emma Swan singing a love song? And with her voice? She didn't think she sounded too good when singing and Regina clearly wouldn't think so, either.

It was sure a scene to laugh at and hopefully that would be just what Regina would do.

"Emma…." Regina whispered as soon as she had figured out what the soft melody went to, but was not quick to stop as Emma's voice sang off-key to the lyrics.

" _Thanks for the times that you've given me._

_The memories are all in my mind._

_And now that we've come to the end of our rainbow_ \- though not really-

_There is something I must say out loud…"_

Her quick add-in had a stunned, slack-jawed Regina make a noise that sounded like a garbled giggle. Emma smiled, gracing her fingers along the older woman's jaw.

" _You're once… twice… three times a lady, and I love you._

_Yes, you're once… twice… three times a lady, and I love you._

_I looooove yoooou."_

The brunette softly giggled again, her cheeks flushed as the blonde hummed with the music. She knew that Regina had probably been rolling her eyes internally after realizing what the song was. Cheesy.

" _When we are together,_

_The moments I cherish,_

_With every beat of my heart._

_To touch you… to hold you…_

_To feel you, to need you._

_There's nothing to keep us apart."_

Emma blushed because she had just realized exactly why she had chosen this song to sing to her brunette lover. It reminded her of her feelings for the brunette, reflecting her emotions into the lyrics of the song. Though she had intended this song to be a joke because, honestly, it was almost cliché to sing to a woman. But Regina was standing there in front of her, eyes shimmering with unshed tears at that last verse and had a smile on her face that could just melt Emma's heart.

The blonde let her green eyes fall from chocolate as pale hands gathered olive, squeezing them tenderly as she continued.

" _You're once… twice… three times a lady and I love you."_

" _I love you…"_  Regina finished the last line, her voice fluid and heavenly, like a choir of fucking angels. Who the hell knew she could sing like  _that?_  Emma certainly didn't.

It wasn't important at the moment, but Emma wanted to her hear sing some more. She could only imagine the things that it would do to her- and not in an erotic way.

"Whoa…" Emma muttered, eyes wide as saucers. "You can sing."

"And you can't." Regina gave a cat-like grin. "But I did quite enjoy your serenade, regardless. Lionel Richie. Classic." She snorted, but quickly recovered.

"I know that it's, like, cliché, but it was meant to be a joke." Emma nibbled on her lower lip. "I sing so horribly, I know. And this song is pretty overused for romantic thingies, I'm sure."

"I do not care, my dear. It was still… heartwarming in a way. And…" Her brown orbs misted as she spoke her last words on a tremble. "No one has ever sang to me before. It really is something sweet that you would do that for me, Emma."

Regina shook a hand from the blonde's grasp and cupped her cheek, the brightest of smiles on her face.

"I just hope that it wasn't weird. It kinda got serious when it wasn't supposed to."

The older woman chuckled softly and shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Let us dance!"

"New music," Emma quickly snatched up her cellphone that had found its way back into her brassiere. She shuffled through the music and smirked, finding the perfect song.

"What is on the playlist, dear?"

"You shall see." Emma giggled just as a rather fast-paced song started to play, its pumped beats thrummed with each heartbeat.

This had taken Regina aback, but her surprise was soon gone and replaced by a delicious upturn of the lips as she started to bounce with the beat. The blonde stood frozen to see what the hell this woman had planned and out of all the scenarios in her head, could she never imagine what she was witness right now. Regina's hips were swaying to the music, the black dress hugged her ass as she stuck it out there with an amused laugh.

Emma's mouth went dry from the sight. Each move that the brunette made was intoxicating, making the blonde sway in a drunken dance with Regina, every cell of her body buzzing.

"I didn't know you could dance like that." Emma grinned over the music, catching whisky in her gaze. She, too, moved to the beat, though the way that Regina pursued her hips had Emma flustered. She was absolutely amazed that the older woman could move like that, though, she hadn't any doubt before that she couldn't. Regina could wiggle and bend in many compromising positions, so why couldn't she dance like a goddamn clubber?

But, still,  _holy shit_ , that woman was marvelous. Her delicious curves were enunciated by the dress that clung to her as if it were a second skin, and that had done wonders with her round rump- which was currently being shaken in Emma's face, or at least, close enough. The blonde licked her lips, resisting the temptation to give that damned thing a slap.

Unfortunately, the beats to the song faded out, which had the brunette cease her dancing and turn around to face her blonde lover. An immediate smile spread across those plump, crimson lips.

"That was so fucking hot." Emma muttered, staring into amused chocolate eyes.

"I used to go to clubs when I was younger. It was a thing after I started to date this one girl that absolutely loved the party." The brunette elaborated, her chest expanded as she inhaled, a smile on her face.

"Really?"  
Then Regina started to burst into laughter, and for the love of her, Emma could not figure out why. Was it really that amusing? She wouldn't be exactly surprised if Regina got a lot of action.

"No. I haven't been known to date the popular girls. Like I had said, I mostly kept to myself and avoided friends since my mother's reign over my life. And by friends, that also meant girlfriends. People in general, really." Regina smiled at the next song that played, a slow, sweet tune that was perfect for an intimate dance. The brunette closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist as the blonde did the same with her lover's neck.

It was strange that no communication was needed when doing things, at times. Emma knew exactly what the brunette was intending and she would just go with the flow. She had always been inept to reading people, but now that she was with Regina, it was like a different life that she was living. She did things that she had never been able to do before, and say things that she never had the need to say.

"What does that have to do with your dancing skills?" Emma mumbled against Regina's cheek before placing a kiss there. "Though it's not to say that I don't like your stories."

"Oh, well, it  _does_  have to deal with my… dancing skills in a way. Boredom. I dance out of boredom sometimes and catch up with the latest dancing fads. Though, I do admit, quite a few of them are rather strange." The brunette slid one hand down to rest on Emma' rump as the two of them swayed together to the slow music. "Like, what on earth is  _twerking?"_

Emma stopped, suddenly bursting into laughter, which had Regina at a shock with the blonde's bellowing giggles in her ear.

"What?"

"Have you tried it?" Emma asked, still giggling.

"No," the brunette was quick to answer. "It looked so… No. I have not. It is not something that I would feel comfortable with doing. Not even alone."

"I bet that it would be hot as fuck if you do it. I would pay good money… Or at least have wild, hot monkey sex with you." Emma dropped her hands, landing them both on Regina's bum to give it a squeeze.

The brunette squeaked softly and pressed herself closer to the blonde, her eye lids half-mast. "Don't count on me doing this… twerking thing."

"Can we just skip to the hot monkey sex?"

"I am afraid not…" Regina pushed away from Emma, her head downcast. This had Emma concerned, her hands lifting to grab the older woman's face. She brought the brunette's face up to gaze into guilty brown eyes.

"Why not?" The blonde asked softly, the pads of her thumbs gently stroking the smooth, olive flesh. "Is something wrong, Gina?"

"In a matter of speaking." Regina answered, her own hands landing on the back of Emma's. She sighed, eyes flicking down to the teenager's lips before gazing back up into emerald eyes. "I started my monthly today. I had discovered it upon returning home."

"Oh… fuck." Emma frowned. "That's why you wanted the chocolate?"

Regina nodded and pulled away from Emma completely. She made her way towards the couch and sat down, the blonde taking the space next to her. "I apologize for not being able to participate in sexual intercourse tonight. I can always pleasure you, if you wish for me to."

"No, no… It's fine." The blonde shrugged and snuggled up to the older woman's side. "Would you like me to get you anything? A foot rub? A tummy rub? A heating pad for your uterus? Your chocolate? A snuggle?"

"Since when are you so quick to offer things?" Regina chuckled softly, wrapping her arm around the teenager.

"Since I know how it is to be a woman." Emma replied with a cheeky smile, a pale finger poking at the brunette's belly. "Is your uterus giving you troubles?"

"I took medication." The brunette grabbed Emma's hand and played with her finger, a breathy sigh leaving her lips.

"I enjoyed the dance with you." She had finally said after a few minutes of silence.

Emma grinned widely. "I liked it, too."

"What are your plans for the holidays, dear?" Regina changed the subject quickly, shifting in her spot into a more comfortable position with her feet tucked under her and her head resting on the blonde's shoulder.

Emma bit her lip and moved as well, her arm finding its way around the brunette's waist to pull her closer. "Tomorrow I'm going to hang out with my friends. I'll probably stay with them until Christmas Eve or the day before. Then I'll be spending Christmas with Mary Margaret and David."

"That's nice," she smiled.

"Do you have any plans? I was thinking about coming over later on Christmas… I have something for you."

"My… my mother called the other day." Regina lifted her head, meeting the blonde's curious gaze. "She's coming down."

"When?" Emma asked breathlessly, holding the older woman tighter as she felt her muscles stiffen at the mention of her mother, though the words hailed from her own mouth.

"She wanted to visit on Christmas." The brunette replied, her words were soft, but strained, as if she didn't want to say nor believe those words. "After all these years she wants to finally see me. She must want something."

"She doesn't know about us, does she?" Emma's eyes widened as saucers.

"No. No… It would be impossible if she were to know about us. And I don't plan on telling her, either." Regina sat up, placing her feet on the floor as she moved out of the blonde's hold. "I don't know why she's coming down here. I… I don't know if I'll be able to see her."

"Why not?"

"I will fall under her spell again and I am afraid that she will…" The brunette shook her head, the words dying on her tongue before she could say them.

"Hey, don't worry about it… If you need me, you can call me, or text me."

"But what can you do, Emma?" Regina pushed herself from the couch and stood, her cheeks staining with tears that neither one had noticed were spilling. "She'll manipulate you into leaving me so she can set me back on track again. And… you're too young. She'll ruin my career, she'll ruin my relationship, she'll ruin  _everything_  and break me so she can build me back up. She had done it before and I am quite sure that she is willing to do it again. Something is wrong, and she… wants to… She wants me for something."

Emma opened her mouth to give Regina some type of comfort, but the ringing of the doorbell interrupted her before she could utter a word.

"Expecting someone?" The blonde asked, quirking her brow. But Regina shook her head and a wave of panic shot down Emma's spine. "Should I go upstairs?"

"No…" Regina slowly hoisted herself off the couch, Emma following suit, as they traveled to the foyer where the blonde stopped before the threshold as the brunette continued to answer the door. She cautiously opened it, Emma peering around her to spot a rather tall, slender woman with pale flesh and long, ginger hair.

She spoke with an English accent, the simple "Hello," echoing through the spacious foyer.

"I do hope that I am not interrupting you," pale green eyes slide up and down Regina's attire, a small smile on her face.

Was this one of Regina's old flames?

Emma found herself bristling. She didn't want to think about past lovers of her girlfriend. They made her… angry that they had touched the brunette and had seen her like she had. So she found herself marching into the entryway and taking position next to the older woman, eyes slightly narrowed as she stared down the newcomer with a warning that should send her away with her tail between her legs.

"No, you aren't." Whisky eyes moved to the blonde now standing next to her and Emma met them, a guilty smile on her face. Shaking her head, Regina turned her attention back to the mysterious woman as she spoke.

"Are you Regina Mills?"

"Yes…" The brunette furrowed her brows, studying the woman before with great contempt. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, I apologize! My name is Zelena. Zelena Mills." Zelena extended a hand towards the brunette for a handshake, but Regina left her hanging, her jaw slack.

"Mills?" She asked, eyes sliding down towards the gloved hand before she shook it as to not be rude.

"Indeed I am. May I come in? It is rather cold out here." When Regina nodded silently, Zelena stepped through and into the foyer, allowing the brunette to close the front door.

"Why… are you looking for me?" Regina inquired, her arm dropping to her side as she turned towards her guest. She crossed "Or so I assume you are. Who are you?"

"Pardon me for not elaborating. I must be so rude as to interrupt you and your daughter." The ginger haired woman smiled politely to Emma, who caught herself from scowling.

"She's… not my daughter."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Although, she didn't look sorry at all. "I am your half-sister."

"My… what?!" Regina gawked, taking a step back. Her eyes were wide, her brows were almost lost in her hairline as the blonde had to press a hand to her back to keep her steady. "That's… impossible. I don't have a sister. I… I am a lone child."

"I was given up for adoption when I was a mere baby." The woman who claimed to be Regina's sister smiled tightly. "Dear old mum couldn't afford to keep me. But in recent events, we had been reunited, under… unfriendly circumstances."

"How do I know that you are not lying to me?" Regina kept her distance from Zelena, eyes sharp and focused on the woman before her. "And what brings you here to disturb me?"

"Our mother is Cora Mills. She owns a wealthy lawyering business and she's an absolute bitch that believes  _you_ , of all people, should inherit it."

"She never spoke of such a thing to me." Regina stiffened in her spot. "And why would I inherit it when she-"

"She's dying!" Zelena interrupted, a sinister smirk on her lips when the brunette gaped, her eyes darkening. "And she wants to give the business to  _her only daughter_. She had completely disowned me. Forgot about me. She  _forgot_  about me when  _I_  am the one who is practiced in the law. Not  _you_ … All you do is  _teach_ , something so insignificant."

"I will not have you come into my house to insult me!" Regina hissed, taking a threatening step towards her sister. Emma took a step back. Should she stop this catfight before it started? "You don't  _know_  me! I want for you to get out of my house."

"Or what?"

Regina took another step forward, her upper lip curling in a threatening manner. She looked as if she were about ready to grab that woman by the neck and throw her out.

"Gina…" Emma reached out to touch her back, instantly causing her to freeze.

"I need you to leave, Zelena. I am sorry, but I cannot help you. I do not control what Cora does, and she will know when she comes here, that I will  _not_  take over her business. She has controlled my life enough and you are  _lucky_  that you didn't have to grow up with her."

" _I_  am lucky? I grew up without a mother. And as soon as I had learned about who she was and who  _you_  were, I needed to know answers."

"Well you got them now, didn't you?" Regina narrowed her whisky eyes. Emma stood beside her, waiting for the moment that she would try to launch again. She could  _feel_  the anger radiating off the older woman.

"Not completely, I did not." Zelena answered with a growl. "I could give our mother all that you refuse to, and more, but she said she didn't want anything to do with me… I will convince her otherwise. I  _will_  find something to ruin her view of you."

Regina stiffened. She didn't mind losing rights to the family business, but what she did mind was getting exposed all over again. She wasn't exactly sure if her 'sister' knew about her tendency to like women, but if she had ever found out, she could use that against her and tell her mother about Emma. And that would not be a good thing. Her mother would surely ruin her  _life_  if she were to find out.

"You won't find anything that she doesn't already know." Regina's tone was quiet, deadly, and her eyes were on fire as they bore into the ginger woman in front of her. That was the truth, to an extent. Her mother knew that she was gay, so that wouldn't be anything to hold against her, but what Cora didn't know was that she had found someone, and that someone wasn't the man that she hoped Regina would find.

But now that Regina  _did_  have knowledge of Zelena, her newly revealed sister, she wondered why Cora wouldn't want her to take over the family business. Of course, Cora wouldn't know exactly what this woman had in mind, but wasn't she the ideal daughter? Zelena  _wanted_  to take over the business. She  _wanted_  to follow in her mother's footsteps as far as Regina could tell. This woman was someone that could give Cora everything she wanted in a daughter, and that included grandchildren to pass the business unto. Unless… there was something preventing that. Something that Cora had discovered and why she was so quick to reject the perfect daughter.

"Are you gay?" Regina found herself asking, unable to stop the question from slipping out. She hadn't necessarily meant to say that out loud. It was part of her unfinished thoughts that started to nag. If Zelena so happened to be a lesbian as she was, it would be the most logical reason as to why Cora didn't want anything to do with her. And since Regina was, herself, her mother probably was ashamed to have  _two_  homosexual daughters.

"Why on earth would you ask me such an inane question?" Zelena's eyes widened, reflecting Emma's own visage.

"It would explain why mother would be so quick to turn you away."

"Well, I am sorry to tell you, but I am  _not_  gay." Regina's sister snarked, her nose wrinkling. "Are you? Is that why mother complained about not having grandchildren to pass the business onto."

"No. I'm sterile." The brunette found herself saying. She wasn't going to risk telling Zelena the truth, because she was sure that woman was smart and would quickly connect Emma as her lover. It was better to lie about not being able to have children than bear the knowledge.

"Sterile? What a shame." Zelena puffed out her lower lip, feigning sympathy as she took a step forward. "Why would mother not want  _me?_  I can at least bear her heirs, unlike you."

"I wouldn't even go there." Regina growled, her nails digging painfully into the palm of her hands. She could feel Emma's hand on her arm, urging her to stay calm. Normally that was easy for the brunette, for the scene in the restaurant weeks back had proven it, but where someone pushed her buttons so relentlessly…

"Whatever you want to believe, dear sister." Zelena shrugged nonchalantly and made her way to the door, heels clacking on the ground as she moved. "Mother is better off without you. You're such a waste. I could make something of this house."

The ginger haired woman was out of the door before Regina had gotten the time to reply, though it didn't make her any less angry. She fumed, stomping up the stairs, leaving Emma to chase after her.

"Gina! Wait!" She heard the blonde's voice calling after her, but she didn't dare stop. Regina was too afraid that she would accidentally lash out at her lover. The anger was too great.

Who was that woman to think that she could just march into her home and insult her like her life had depended on it. It was ridiculous. It was aggravating and Regina lost count on how many times that she just wanted to deck that bitch.

"Regina, please…" Emma stopped in the doorway of the master bedroom where Regina had entered.

The brunette let out an angered scream as she whipped around to face her girlfriend, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her entire body was trembling, shaking with fury as the image of this half-sister of her appeared in her mind. Her words echoed in her head and the many scenarios she could think of handling it played in mind.

It was Emma's large, doe-eyes that had sated some of her anger, letting Regina's vision to clear of the red that had blinded it before. She sighed and let her eyes squeeze shut, a shudder shook her body and a sob escaped her lips.

"Who does she think she is, coming into my house like that?" Regina cried, her glistening eyes opening to meet with emerald. "I-I can't let her find out about us. M-my mother will… she will… take you away from me."

"Regina…" The way her name fell from Emma's lips was soothing in itself and Regina found herself in the blonde's arms, her face buried in golden curls. She inhaled the sweet scent of her young lover, letting the familiarity flow through her body and relax her frazzled nerves. "We won't let her find out, okay? Your mother cannot take me away from you. There is no way in hell I'd ever leave you."

"I hope not…" Regina breathed. "We are  _fucked_  if my mother finds out."

"Come on, Gina. Why don't you try to forget about this? Think of something else."

"You're right." The brunette sighed and peeled herself from Emma. "Would you like to relax with me in bed? I can grab my laptop and we can find a movie to watch, if you wish."

"That sounds good. Can I change, first?"

"Yes, dear. I plan on doing the same." Regina sniffled and offered the blonde a watery smile, in which was returned with the sweetest smile that squeezed the brunette's heart in her chest.

"There's that smile." Emma whispered, bringing a hand up to wipe the tears from olive cheeks.

"For you." The teacher purred, nuzzling the hand for a hot second before turning away. She made her way over to her closet, unzipping her dress on the way. She could hear the blonde struggle to get out of her dress as well and smiled, unable to help it when she turned around to watch Emma, who was hopping around with one leg in her pajama pants.

Then she fell over and Regina bubbled with laughter.

"Shut up!" Emma whined, glaring at the brunette as she stood. "Or I will make  _you_  fall down."

"I would like to see you try,  _dear_." Regina smiled, her dress pooling around her ankles when Emma had started to make her way over to the closet. She had stopped, though, halfway across the room with her eyes on the brunette- dark and hungry.

"God, you're hot." Emma smirked, bouncing the rest of the way over to the older woman. Her eyes ate up the sight in front of her, slowly licking her lips as she let emerald rake up the smooth, exposed flesh of the brunette.

Regina wore nothing but a pair of skimpy, lace panties. She had blown off wearing a bra, since her dress already had built-in cups. Unfortunately for her, it only made her arousal even more evident. Her nipples had hardened underneath the intense stare of her lover and ached to be touched. The thrumming between her thighs intensified with each breath that the blonde had puffed against her tanned flesh, hot and moist, and ever erotic. Her heartbeat had sped up, becoming quite noticeable in the otherwise quiet room.

Emma had leaned forward and pressed her lips against the older woman's shoulder, feathering kisses down to her clavicle, earning a surprised gasp from Regina whose hands had now found purchase on the blonde's shoulders.

"Oh, Emma…" Regina purred, her head tilting back as the blonde's mouth proceeded downward, patterning over the swell of the teacher's breast. She used her tongue to lave over the brunette's aching tip before completely pulling away with a devious smirk.

"You're on your period. No sex for you." And then she was gone, cackling like an evil witch.

Regina glared at the teenager, sucking in a breath as she pressed her thighs together. What a goddamn tease.

"You're evil," she muttered, turning to snatch up a pair of her silk pajamas and don them just as quick.

"You're the one that's evil for getting the red sea to come out of your cooch today." Emma retorted, an amused smile on her face as she waited for the brunette in the middle of the bed.

"I cannot help what Mother Nature decides to do." Regina huffed and made her way over towards the bed as well. She clambered on with a soft grunt and rested her back against the headboard. "Shit!"

"What?" Emma jumped slightly and looked over to the brunette, frowning.

"I forgot my laptop. How am I supposed to not be angry when I forget small things?" Regina scoot off the bed and headed over to the bay window seat where she had left her laptop.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. Just…" The blonde sighed, frowning at her girlfriend as she made her way back over to the bed, an angered look on her face.

"Maybe she's right. Maybe I am just a waste."

"Stop thinking that." Emma crawled over to Regina as she got back into her spot. She dropped next to her and stole a kiss. "Let's find a movie to watch, okay? How about something comical?"

"Bloody." Regina grumbled, opening the laptop up to bring up the web browser. "We need something bloody and gory."

"Look in the toilet after you go to the bathroom."

"Now you're just being sick, Emma." Regina crinkled her nose and browsed through the horror movies listed.

"Yeah, sorry. Too far." The blonde mumbled, leaning into her lover as she looked through the movie titles as well. "Gina?"

"Yes, dear?" The brunette wrapped her arm around Emma, pulling the teenager flush against her side.

"Don't let Zelena get you down. She isn't worth our breath and you're absolutely perfect the way that you are. If they don't accept that, there's something wrong with them." Emma threw her arm over Regina's stomach, her head resting on the older woman's chest. "I want you to know that. I want you to know that you're good enough."

"Sweetheart," she whispered, her eyes closing.

"Please just hear me out." Emma pleaded, pressing a few soft kisses to the brunette's jaw.

"I am hearing you." Regina purred, loving eyes focused on the blonde below her. "I believe everything that you say. You really do make me feel so much better about myself, Emma. You inspire me every day."

"I do?"

"Yes you do, my love." The brunette kissed the top of Emma's head and gave her a squeeze, a happy purr rumbling in her throat.

"You make me feel like my heart is going to explode. I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling, but I just…"

"I know how you feel. You make me feel the same way." Regina sighed, her hand absentmindedly rubbing the younger woman's arm as she finally chose a movie to play. Emma was the only person that made Regina feel the way that she did. With just one look, her heart could squeeze so tightly in her chest. Her voice was like a perfect melody to her, especially when she called Regina "Gina". It made her feel special. It made her feel wanted unlike she had felt for most of her life.

It was a strange concept to her, that Emma was so many years her junior, but it felt as if it didn't matter. Talking with Emma felt as if she were talking with someone just her own age, a lifelong friend. Age really didn't matter when it came to love and, honestly, Regina didn't mind one bit. She had found someone that made her so  _happy_ , and it was a healthy thing to have in her life. She only hoped that they would be able to stay together for a long while down the road.

"Emma…?"

"Yes, Gina?"

Regina's heart squeezed and she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

 

Emma slowly gained consciousness, groaning softly as a stream of sunlight hit her face with a vicious stab. It had taken her a few moments to realize where the hell she was and what the hell was wrapped in her arms.

Then she opened her eyes, soon greeted by an eyeful of brunette locks, splayed every which way including all over her own face. She sputtered out the hair that had managed to force its way into her mouth and shifted her head slightly away, though her arms remained firmly wrapped around the brunette in front of her. Somehow, she had managed to fall asleep with Regina in her arms and remained in this position all night.

It had brought her back, though, to last night. Regina had become upset once again after they had eaten a late dinner and talked. Somehow, she had managed to bring herself back to her half-sister's visit and then thought back to how her mother treated her when she was much younger. It was a lot of what the blonde had heard before, her mother being rather controlling over her life and how she had never been able to keep friends because of her.

Then she had said something about abuse and that had torn Emma's heart in two. She could never imagine this sweet woman being  _hurt_  for doing something that apparently Cora Mills had thought wrong. When Regina had explained what her mother had punished her for, which were just ordinary child things such as tasting dirt or crying she had banged her knee, Emma had shook her head and held the brunette tight.

Regina had visited a dark place, she was sure, because sooner rather than later, she was holding a sobbing teacher in her arms, and held her until she had succumbed to exhaustion. It was still strange to Emma- trying to comfort an upset person- but the older woman had reassured her that she had made her feel much better, despite the awkward situation.

Emma had thought about just that as she held the snoozing woman in her arms late at night. She thought about how much Regina had actually meant to her and how scary it was to realize that. Whenever the brunette was upset- angry or sad- Emma felt those emotions surging through her own body. She was angry for Regina. She was happy for her. She was sad for her. Whatever that woman would be feeling, Emma felt it, too.

And so she had felt rather down the rest of the night until fatigue crept up on her like a lurker in the night. She still felt rather depressed now, as she woke with tired eyes staring at the still sleeping brunette in her arms.

"Emma?" She heard Regina's lost whisper as the brunette shifted in her arms. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah. I am." Emma replied, giving the older woman a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here."

"What time is it?"

"Let me check…" The blonde craned her head to check the digital clock on the bed stand. She hadn't known the time nor bothered to check it when she woke minutes ago. "It's almost noon."

"Noon?" Regina inquired. "We should get up."

"It's cold." Emma snuggled into the blankets, pulling the older woman tighter against her body. "Let's stay in bed, my little spoon."

"Emma, honey, we have to get up." Regina turned around in the blonde's arms and faced her with large, brown eyes.

"Can't we just stay for five more minutes?" Emma pleaded, giving the teacher a pout. "You're very comfy."

"Fine…"

"Thank you!"

The blonde leaned forward to give the woman in front of her a sweet kiss, her teeth nibbling ever so slightly on plump lips. Regina groaned softly against Emma's lips, one of her arms draping over her lover's side.

"What would you like for lunch, dear?"

"I don't know." Emma replied with a shrug, pressing lazy kisses against Regina's cheek and jaw. "I'm not really hungry. I never am when I first wake up."

"Neither am I." Regina gasped softly when Emma's lips found the sensitive flesh below her ear. Her breath had suddenly quickened and Emma could feel the short puffs of air against her ear, causing her to shiver.

"I know one thing that I'm hungry for, though."

"Mm, and what is that, Emma?" The brunette whispered huskily into the blonde's ear.

Emma couldn't help the moan that slip from her lips when those words shot straight to her core. "You."

"You don't want me." Regina muttered, nibbling on Emma's earlobe. The blonde had ceased her teasing kisses, her fingers digging into her lover's back.

"Yes I do." She growled and went back to her kisses, trailing her lips down the older woman's neck to the pulse point where she gave a quick nip to the flesh. "I want you  _so much_."

"Trust me, Emma. You don't want to touch me down there." Regina groaned as those teeth sunk into her neck, the grip only tightening with each ragged breath that she took.

"Damn your body…" Emma pulled away to gaze into whisky orbs, which here darkened with desire. "You're horny."

"Indeed I am, my love." Regina mumbled, her own eyes searching dark green eyes. "You make me so undeniably wet."

"Do I?"

"Always," husked the older woman whose hands roamed underneath the blonde's white tank. Her fingers graced up the teenager's back, tickling her skin with the tips of them. Emma shivered, her breath hot against Regina's cheek. "You turn me on with just one look."

The blonde grinned like the Cheshire cat when her own hand had copied Regina's, sliding underneath the silk fabric of her expensive sleepwear. She let her own fingers skitter along heated flesh, though they directed their attention to her finger and moved across her twitching stomach.

"Can I really do that?" Emma asked curiously, the palm of her hand flattening against Regina's stomach.

"Sometimes, yes." The older woman answered, taking a sharp inhalation of air. She squirmed slightly, pressing her abdomen against the younger woman's hand.

"Gina?" Emma let her gaze meet her girlfriend's, her thumb stroking the older woman's belly as she let her hand remain there.

"Hm?" she hummed in response, her eyes half-mast as she marveled in the touch.

"I know it's a random question, but… I was thinking about yesterday, and some things we talk about weeks ago…"

"What is it, dear?" Her eyes opened fully, wide and curious as they searched Emma's face.

"You said that you wanted kids?"

"Indeed I had." She nodded, a soft smile on her face. "What about it?"

"How?"

"There are different ways." Regina turned to lay on her back, taking the blonde's hand with her. "I can get pregnant by artificial insemination, or I can adopt, or some other ways like surrogates or forcing my partner to have the child."

"Did  _you_  want to have a baby?" Emma slightly narrowed her eyes as she asked the question, her hand now stroking Regina's lower stomach. "Like, I mean, carry it yourself."

"I would like that, yes." The brunette nodded and looked over to her blonde lover. "But I fear I will be too old by the time I reach that point."

"Why is that? You're still young…"

"How flattering of you, my dear." Regina chuckled. "In a little over two years I will be forty."

"You can still have a kid." The blonde shrugged.

"Why are you asking me this?"

There was a pregnant pause. Emma didn't exactly know why she was asking Regina that. She supposed that she was rather curious… Or perhaps hopeful that, maybe one day, they would still be together and want to start a family. And that Regina would be the willing carrier if they decided to create life themselves.

It was wishful thinking, really. Would they still be together if that time came? Would Emma even want a kid? The idea didn't sound too appealing now, but a pregnant Regina would be rather adorable with a large tummy and that glowing skin.

"Just curious."

"Do  _you_  want children, Emma?"

"It depends. I have to find the right woman, you know?"  _And I think I have already found her._

"Oh, I see." Her voice sounded almost disappointed and Emma wanted to stuff those words back into her mouth.

Silence.

"How about we go eat?" Regina had finally said, sitting up in her spot which had forced Emma's hand away from her stomach. "What would you like?"

"I don't mind." The blonde sat up as well and flipped the covers off. "Anything you make is delicious."

"When are you supposed to meet up with your friends, dear?" The brunette quickly slid off the bed, not waiting as she headed towards the door.

Emma frowned and quickly scrambled after her. "Any time, I assume. Regina, are you okay?"

"I am perfectly fine, dear. Why might you ask?" The brunette smiled, though it looked rather forced when she had turned around to face Emma.

"Did I say something?" The blonde tilted her head, watching as the brunette in front of her battled with oncoming emotions. She could see the way that her eyes had sparkled momentarily, as if tears were about to break through their barrier at any given moment. Then her face hardened as she threw on her usual mask.

"No." The brunette teacher shrugged and made her way down the stairs.

Emma stood in the hallway for a moment, wondering what the hell had happened. Was she upset over the comment that she had made earlier? She hadn't exactly worded what she said correctly and knew that it had come out wrong. And Regina must have totally read what she had said completely wrong.

The blonde frowned and quickly met up with Regina who had begun preparing their lunch, which looked like it would be consisting of sandwiches and large pickles that Emma had found a jar of in the teacher's fridge earlier.

She found it rather hilarious when she had discovered them, and even giggled when the brunette blushed, saying that she enjoyed them as a snack from time to time. They were a guilty pleasure, as was the ice cream that she kept in her freezer. That had also compelled her to search the brunette's entire kitchen and each cupboard that harbored nothing but regular foods. She had yet to discover more junk food type items in Regina's kitchen, but the older woman tended to keep things well-hidden. As she did with that large jar of pickles in her fridge, hidden behind milk and juice.

"Gina?" Emma came up behind the petite brunette and wrapped her arms around Regina's waist. She set her chin on her shoulder as she watched the older woman slap together the current sandwich.

"Yes?"

"If something is wrong, you should tell me." The blonde whispered, making sure to press a kiss just below the older woman's ear. She knew that it was Regina's favorite spot and it always tended to make her purr.

And this time was no exception. The brunette's head tilted slightly to the opposite side, allowing Emma to kiss that very spot again as she hummed. "It's really nothing, Emma."

"It is. You shouldn't hide anything from me. It'll only make things worse." When the brunette hadn't said anything, Emma continued, pressing another kiss to her swarthy skin. "And if you tell me, we can fix it."

"I'd rather not talk about it, Emma. Please, just let it be for now." Regina shrugged the blonde away and cleanly set the newly made sandwiches onto two plates, placing a pickle on each.

"Gina…" Emma sighed softly, taking the plate that her lover had handed over to her. The brunette shook her head and sauntered out of the kitchen, leaving Emma to follow after her. She was definitely curious about what was bothering Regina and wanted to help her, because she knew that she had been the one to cause the disturbance in her mood. Unfortunately, the older woman didn't want to discuss it at the moment and Emma knew that she needed time. Regina would only close up if she pushed, and neither one wanted that.

Regina hadn't said anything when the blonde arrived into the dining room, for she had assumed her place at the table and began to take dainty bites from her sandwich. Her eyes every so often traveled to Emma, who was studying her with gloomy eyes.

"What?" She finally mumbled after swallowing her fourth bite.

Emma blinked and looked away, flushing now that Regina had called her out on staring. "Nothing."

"Emma," the brunette whispered upon a sigh, setting her sandwich down to look at Emma, dark eyes sternly staring at the blonde's face.

"You're quiet and it's bothering me. I know that there's something wrong, but I also know better than to push you." Emma muttered, playing with the half-eaten sandwich that she had held in her hands.

"I wish not to discuss what is on my mind." Regina's eyes dropped to her plate before she hesitantly reached across the table to set her hand on top of Emma's. When mud met with forest, Emma melted, Regina's hand relaxing against the pale hand. "But I do not wish to be… cold towards you. It must just be my hormones."

"Yeah, it could always be that." Emma mumbled, flipping her hand over to lace their fingers together. She could already feel her worries dripping away and a sudden peace take over her body. Regina always seemed to be able to make Emma feel absolutely calm in the most stressful of times with just one touch.

There was a tentative smile soon on Regina's face, twitching as if it were struggling to stay up. But it was enough to have the blonde smiling back, her heart fluttering like a swarm of butterflies in her chest.

How could Regina not be the one that she wanted in her life forevermore?

It might have been juvenile to think of such a thing right now, this early in their relationship, but it was moments like this, and smiles like that, that had always seemed to make up Emma's mind. It made her feel like no one else mattered. She couldn't imagine herself with someone other than Regina, and it was  _crazy_. It was so crazy, yet if felt so right. She wondered if Regina felt the same.

"How could I ever be angry with you?" Regina asked, though so quietly Emma thought it was meant to be to herself.

"I can ask myself the same question." Emma grinned, giving the brunette's hand a tender squeeze. "You make amazing sandwiches." She took a large bite out of her sandwich, a large smug look on her face as she chewed and stared at her lover, who had stared at her with wide eyes.

"You like me for my sandwiches?"

" _Amazing_  sandwiches." Emma nodded, taking another bite. "What the hell do you put on these things to make them so good?"

"Smoked ham, dear." Regina shook her head and used her free hand to take her own sandwich. She looked rather annoyed and Emma would be concerned if not for the twitch of her lips as the corners gave the faintest showing of a smile. "And mayo. A little bit of spicy mustard. And we must not forget the provolone cheese."

"It's fucking delicious." The blonde popped the last bite into her mouth. "And with the soggy bread soaked in pickle juice-  _Marvelous!_ "

"Ah, well, that was unintended."

"Good kick to it."

"The kick would be the spicy mustard, as I had mentioned." The smile on Regina's face no longer remained hidden as it brightened her entire face. "And my special ingredient."

"What?"

"I cannot tell. It is a secret."

Emma lifted her gaze to the brunette who wore a devious smirk and a secret that the blonde wanted to pry for. "Tell me! What is it?"

"Oh, but I cannot." Regina shrugged simply and picked her pickle up to take a bite, the sound of the crunch echoed in the desolate air.

"Why not?"

Regina pouted, giving the blonde  _that_  look that she knew not to continue with questions or else things were about to get crazy. Emma sighed in defeat and sat back against her chair, chewing on the pickle as she watched the brunette do the same.

"Do you know how perverted that looks?" Emma couldn't help but to comment when Regina had sucked on hers. She stopped and looked up, pickle still in mouth and cheeks turning rosy.

That pickle was out of Regina's mouth quicker than Emma could say the word herself.

"You're perverted, Emma." She mumbled, setting the food on her plate. "And now you've just ruined pickles for me."

"I'm sorry." Emma smirked, taking a bite off hers.

"I do not do…"

"I know," the blonde chuckled and gave her lover's hand a squeeze. "I was just playing with you. But, seriously, though…"

"I don't do dicks."

"But you do dildos." And that had Regina's cheeks flaring a florid pink, the heat creeping up her neck like day to night.

"Only when you're on the other end." The brunette growled, and it took a moment before the blonde noticed that her eyes had darkened incredibly. The blush on her cheeks had faded quickly.

"So I have noticed." Emma smirked.

"Unfortunately, we cannot enjoy that activity today, or else you would be upstairs, strapped to my bed at this moment." Regina sat back in her chair, her grip on the blonde's hand had loosened. "Which reminds me... I will be right back." She pushed her chair from the table and stood, releasing Emma's hand altogether.

"I'll clean up." The blonde volunteered, doing the same as she gathered the plates. "That way you don't have to."

"Why are you suddenly being so nice?"

"Hey, I always am." Emma stacked the plates on one another, Regina's half-eaten pickle on top.

"I was only joking, my dear." Regina leaned forward, pressed a kiss to her blonde girlfriend's cheek, and turned to leave the room.

Emma smiled absently as she made her way back to the kitchen, dirty dishes in tow. She dumped them into the sink, the brunette's pickle in her mouth as she filled one side up with hot, soapy water. The dishes from last night still remained.

She figured she would do the good deed and help Regina out, since she had contributed to the mess after all. So as she waited for the brunette to return, she did just that, finishing up when Regina had come back with a surprised remark.

"You did my dishes."

"Indeed," the blonde smiled, turning around from drying her hands on a dish towel. "I'll probably be heading out soon, if you don't mind."

"No." Regina's voice was quiet, the faintest of frowns on her face that told Emma otherwise.

"I'll message and call you all I can." Emma promised, closing the distance between the two. She wrapped her arms lithely around her lover's waist and smiled when Regina had done the same, returning the embrace.

"I don't want to be bothersome." She smiled, laying her forehead against the blonde's. "After all, you will be spending time with your friends."

"You're more important to me." Emma found herself saying, and it was the truth. She loved her friends dearly, but she loved Regina more, and that was absolutely  _insane_.

"Surely not…" Regina blushed, her eyes lowering to the blonde's lips. "There is no possible way-"

"But there is." Emma quickly interrupted, pecking the brunette's lip. She smiled when the older woman hummed and pressed herself closer. "I will make sure to talk with you whenever I can."

"I would surely hope so, my love." The brunette's breath was hot against Emma's lips and with each heartbeat that had passed, it only quickened. The blonde exhaled shakily just as Regina had decided to move forward and kissed her, soft and tentative.

It hadn't taken long for Emma to return the kiss, her grip around the older woman had tightened as brought her closer, the kiss deepening into something sweet and passionate. Regina mewled against the blonde's lips as Emma couldn't help the groan that rumbled in her throat.

She could feel fingers sneaking up her back and the base of her neck to soon twist in her blonde curls as the cause of those shivers up her spine had parted her lips to run that sweet tongue of hers across Emma's mouth before pushing through into the tangy abyss.

Emma hummed and pulled Regina closer if it were possible, her tongue fawning over the other with soft strokes. The older woman growled, tugging Emma's hair to pull her head away, her breath short and hot as it puffed against the blonde's wet mouth.

"You have to go," she whispered breathlessly, untangling herself from the teenager's arms. "If we continue any further you will never leave."

"But I don't want to go…" Emma stood in the middle of the kitchen as the brunette backed away, her arms at her sides and her back hunched as she watched Regina through sad, emerald eyes.

"Do not make yourself regret your decision." Regina warned, her head gesturing towards the door.

Emma huffed out a breath of air before marching passed the teacher, sticking her tongue out childishly as she left the kitchen. She could hear Regina cluck behind her, muttering "child" under her breath.

The blonde made haste to get upstairs and change, packing her things up once again. She didn't want to leave right now, but Regina was right because if she didn't, she would never get out of here. Though, it was probably the kissing bit that she had been talking about, but it was the truth nonetheless.

It didn't take long before Emma was back downstairs where Regina was waiting for her in the foyer, a sad smile on her face. The teenager stopped and readjusted her messenger bag with a crooked smile.

"I will see you… soon." The blonde had been the first to speak, slowly making her way over to her brunette lover.

Regina only nodded, her arms extending to wrap around the blonde as soon as she had come close enough. "When is soon?"

"I want to come over around Christmas, but if I can help it, I will come by sooner than that." Emma gave her a squeeze before pulling away.

"Don't come over on Christmas." Regina warned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Remember that my mother is coming over."

"Oh, yes, how could I forget?" Emma shook her head slowly.

"No doubt she's here to tell me what…  _Zelena_ had told me yesterday." The brunette cringed as she spoke her sister's name.

"Good luck with your mother and whatever kind of fucked up shit is going on."

"Yes, thank you." Regina wrinkled her nose with disgust, her eyes darkening with the memories of the day before. "I will let you know when she does arrive and when she leaves so you know not to come over during that time."

"I'll keep my eyes peeled." Emma nodded, taking a step forward to give Regina one last kiss. They pulled away with content sighs and smiles on their faces despite the displeasing subject.

"Goodbye, dear. Be safe and have fun." Regina took her lover's hand to give it a squeeze as the two of them headed towards the front door. She opened it and Emma stepped onto the porch, their hands still connected.

" _You_  be safe and good luck." Emma nodded towards her, a concerned expression on her face. She hoped that nothing bad were to happen when Cora visited.

"I will be. Don't you worry about me." The English teacher gave Emma's hand another squeeze before she released it and grabbed the door. "Have fun, okay?"

"I'll try." Emma pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and waved it in the air as she stepped off the porch. "And I'll message you later, okay?"

"Alright, dear." Regina called after her as the blonde shoved the device in her pocket and continued on down the path.

When Emma glanced back, she saw Regina still standing in the doorway, a watery smile on her lips. The blonde gave her a smile before turning back around to open the gate. She hoped that Regina would be able to hold it together for her mother's visit. If her half-sister from yesterday had upset her as much as she had with word of Cora, who only knows what the woman herself would do. Emma looked back one last time and she swore Regina had tears in her eyes. When the blonde tried to get a better look, the brunette was already backing away and the white door soon replaced her figure.


	20. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It is a wee bit late and I do apologize for that! It's all up now, shiny and new! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I had writing it. I have both Regina's and Emma's POV in this chapter, and its mixed throughout, but you can easily differentiate between the two. I won't really be using this style in the future chapters, more than likely, but I figured this would be the best way to go about this chapter since our two lovely ladies are apart.
> 
> Warning: Abuse and maybe a little mindfuckery, but I think that's about it. (besides a bit of an adult situated scene towards the end).
> 
> Reviews are greatly appreciated and encouraged! Thank you for reading (and sticking with me thus far) and I will let you get to it. :)

Regina Mills paced the floor of her study, eyes darting furiously back and forth as if something were to pop out at her in any given moment. She clutched her cellphone in one hand, tight enough to shatter it, and a card in the other, stuffed inside a sealed envelope.

Her mother had called her just moments ago to notify her daughter of her arrival. She would be here soon and that had Regina's heart racing, thumping so hard against her chest she thought it would burst. Because Cora was on her way  _here_. And Regina had  _that_  in her hand, in which she was supposed to give her mother.

It was the night before Christmas and Emma's messages did little to soothe her when she had warned the blonde of her mother's arrival. Every fear, every memory, every resentment, regret… it all had come back, crashing over the brunette like a tidal wave. She absolutely  _dreaded_  Cora's visit because every time she had shown her face, the English teacher always seemed to revert back to that little girl, yearning for nothing but her mother's approval and willing to do anything to earn it.

"I won't. Not this time." Regina promised herself, aloud. She wasn't going to allow Cora to twist her mind into thinking that she needed her mother. No. Not again. She had done that several times in the past and the brunette had always seemed to fall under her mother's spell.

Cora Mills was a manipulative woman and would stop at nothing until she got what she wanted. And what she wanted was Regina, or so the teacher had thought, and Zelena's little visit had confirmed. Cora was after her for something, because why else would she visit? It would just  _kill_  the woman if she were to visit her own daughter for the sake of it.

The lawyer had been everything opposite Regina wanted to be if she were to become a mother herself. All the brunette's life, she felt as if Cora only bore her as an heir to her successful law firm, which had led Regina to believe that she did something to her beloved father. But, that was thinking way too far outside the box. Surely her mother couldn't be capable of such a deed? After all, she was the woman that raised her and cared for her for eighteen plus years of her life. Though, she was also the woman that had abused the brunette both mentally and physically- though the physical scarring had paled in comparison to the words that had sliced her ego.

And, yet, Regina always seemed to find herself yearning for her mother. To make that woman proud of her and want to love her like a mother should her child. It wasn't too much to ask for, was it? Or was Regina just caught up in her own self-delusion that made her think that it was perfectly fine to feed from the hand that hit her?

That woman was already clouding Regina's mind. She could already feel the little girl inside of her resurfacing the more she thought of her dear old mother. She needed naught to have these feelings, and so she kept telling herself. She needed to remain calm. She needed to keep herself and not allow that woman take her life like she had so many times in the past.

That would definitely be a bad thing, especially if she were to pry enough into Regina's mind so much that the teacher would spill her relationship with Emma. And neither of them wanted that. It was a dangerous thing and surely Cora would charge after the blonde to dissuade her of their standing. Like she had with many of Regina's other girlfriends in the past.

The sudden chiming of the doorbell hardly sated the brunette and she jumped in her spot in the middle of pacing, breaking from her worrisome thoughts. She was sure she had worn a track in her carpet by just those few minutes of anxiety. It was discomforting how much her mother had affected her in the way that she did.

Regina took a heartbeat to regain herself and straighten out her outfit, which had consisted of a straight pair of black slacks and a crimson, cotton button-up shirt.

Then she was heading towards the front door, the heels she wore thumping on the wood as she moved to pull open the front door, instantly greeted by the fakest smile she had ever seen

"Hello, dear. It certainly has been a while, has it not?" Cora's cool voice sent shivers down Regina's spine as she stepped into the foyer. She had stood on the porch, clad in a black business suit with slacks similar to Regina's and a blazer that matched. Her brown hair was straight and let loose to cascade just past her shoulders.

"Yes, it has." Regina ground her teeth together and moved to shut the door. Sharp, brown eyes landed on the older woman in front of her. "What has it been? Five years or six?"

"Has it been so long?" Her mother clucked, shaking her head as she brought a hand out to brush across Regina's cheek. The dark brunette turned her head from the caress, her jaw grinding as she tried to keep her composure. She couldn't let her mother take her by the heart again.

Cora recoiled, a wounded expression on her face. "Oh, don't be that way, my love…"

"You never called me back." Regina muttered coldly, turning towards the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink? Eat?"

"No. I am fine. I would like to catch up with you, my dear daughter." Cora smiled when Regina turned back around to face her mother, the brunette forced one on her own face before taking off across the foyer.

"Then why don't you join me in the sitting room?" She pointed in the direction even as she headed there, her mother on her heels.

Once they got settled on the leather couch, Regina taking the opposite end as her mother, she started up the conversation.

"What had made you decide to visit me after disappearing for so long?"

"How have you been, Regina?" Cora countered the teacher's question with her own as she casually crossed her legs, a light smile on her crimson lips.

"I have been getting by." Regina answered, playing with the envelope still in her hand. "But I know your true intention behind that question. I am not blind, mother."

"Oh?" Cora blinked. "And what might that be?"

"You want to know if I had met anyone." Regina glanced up. "I know you, mother. You cannot fool me with your advertence towards the topic."

Her mother just sat there with the same smile on her face, though she hadn't said a word in protest to the brunette's statement.

"I have met several people."

"And by people, I am sure that you mean  _women_." Cora shook her head with the disgust that Regina had become all too familiar with. "Honestly, Regina, I simply do not understand this fascination that you have with women. They cannot give you what a man can."

"You mean children, don't you?" The younger woman scoffed, averting her gaze from her mother.

This was something that she had heard so many times from her mother and had learned to just ignore it. If not, they would argue about it for hours until one of them left in an angry storm- and if that happened now, her mother would be the one to leave and probably never come back. Regina should be happy at that thought, since the woman had wounded her so many times, but the thought only sent her heart sinking. Despite all of the things that Cora had done to Regina, she still loved her mother dearly and that was simply  _crazy_. But nothing in her life was normal. It never had been, and more than likely never will be.

"And so much more, Regina dear. How can you not see that?" One of Cora's hands found its way on Regina's thigh and she gave it a squeeze. "How can you even love a woman the way you would a man?"

"Exactly the same, mother, or so I assume." Regina replied nonchalantly, ignoring the hand that slid up her thigh, soon detaching itself to cup her cheek.

"But a man can give you so much more, Regina."

"A penis?" The brunette snapped her head over to her mother, forcing the hand away. "Because, honestly mother, I do not find those the least bit appealing. To say the least, they are the exact opposite of that. They are  _revolting_."

"That is not what I meant." Cora scoffed, giving her daughter a cynical look.

"Then what did you mean? Please, enlighten me."

"I meant-"

"On the other hand, don't. Just… don't. I do not wish to hear this.  _Again_." Regina squeezed her phone, dropping her gaze to her lap before bringing whisky orbs back up to meet with her mother's. "It seems that every conversation we have ends with this discussion."

"Because I would like for you to see-"

"See what, mother? I cannot see through your eyes! I am  _not_  you! I am  _me_." She cried, her eyes misting. "I am my own person, mother. I have my own likes and dislikes and they are not  _yours_. Please. I wish you would just respect my opinions and stop controlling every aspect of my life."

Cora audibly sighed beside Regina, her gaze dropping to her lap. They both sat in silence for what felt like an uncomfortably long while, each left to their own thoughts.

But then she slipped into a different mood, a watery smile on her lips as she gazed back up at her daughter. "You're right, Regina. I cannot control your thoughts or feelings. You are your own person and I should not have taken advantage of my influence in your life."

Regina's heart skipped a beat at her mother's words. That was exactly what she had wanted her mother to grasp- the concept that she had been trying to advertise to that woman for so long. It had nearly made her brain explode to know that her mother had finally accepted it.

But, that was the thing. It was  _exactly_  what Regina wanted to hear. And she wanted so much to believe what Cora was saying was truly genuine, but a part of her knew that it wasn't. She wanted something from Regina and the younger woman knew it.

But it felt so good to see that smile on her mother's face and the deceptive look of understanding in her eyes…

So she decided to grasp the idea of her mother's coming to terms. It made her feel good. It made her feel  _wanted_. And it was so easy to make herself believe.

"Yes. That's exactly what I want you to understand, mother. I want you to know how  _I_  feel, even if I do not share the same views as you do."

"I finally do understand, dear. Though, I don't think I will ever get used to the fact that you…" Cora trailed off, though Regina knew what she was going to say. She would never get used to the fact that she was gay. She never had and she never will.

"I have come to understand that." Regina dipped her head.

Her mother was playing her. She knew it. She would be willing to do anything to get Regina on her side, if what Zelena had said was true.

The English teacher just had to keep that in mind and couldn't let her mother put her under her spell even though Cora's words were so satisfying.

_Just play along with her little game and make her believe…_

"Come here, my love. Come lay with mommy." Cora extended an arm, inviting Regina to lean into her. The younger brunette hesitated. If she were to accept this invitation, there was no going back, and it was a risk that she might fall for whatever her mother had planned. But it looked so  _tempting_.

She had missed her mother and the company that she had brought. And she so rarely ever got any affection from the woman…

Regina scooted the distance between them and leaned into her mother as Cora's arm wrapped around her, pulling her daughter close. She felt a kiss on the top of her head and couldn't help the small smile on her lips. Her mother smelled of roses.

"There we go." Cora smiled. "Tell me, Regina, have you met any-…  _woman_?"

"No. I have not." Regina replied, looking straight ahead of her.

"That's a shame." Though, she could hear the smug smirk that her mother wore and it was  _disgusting_. "How has your teaching job been treating you?"

"The students have come and gone and most have been rude as they always were." The English teacher solemnly sighed. She had confided in her mother so long ago about her students and how they had despised her. Cora had only found it humorous that they had even come up with nicknames for her, the one being the Evil Queen.

Her mother was the one to encourage her to continue with her teaching methods after Regina had lamented that was why the students disliked her.

She should have known better than to take her mother's advice. Cora was always the one to ruin bits of her life, no matter how small or large it might have been. And that was just one of them, as Regina thought back to it. If she were to lighten the way she taught, then maybe the students wouldn't have resented her so much. Then again, if she hadn't, would she have fallen for Emma?

It was still probable.

"Oh, dear…" Cora frowned this time, her hand gently stroking her daughter's raven locks. "They aren't giving you too hard of a time, are they?"

"No," Regina hummed, her eyes fluttering shut as she embraced the way her mother now ran her fingers through her hair. "The assignments are the cause of my stress nowadays."

"You do not have too much, now, do you?"

Regina only shrugged and sunk further against her mother, face pressing into the expensive fabric of her designer blazer. Her mother's scent was enticing, drawing her in like a moth to a flame. It had brought her back to those times that her mother had held her, which were few and far between, but beautiful nonetheless.

Cora had noticed these movements and grinned, small, but genuine. Her arms held tightly onto Regina, only bringing her closer as she dropped another kiss to the top of her head.

"Despite what you must think, Regina, I  _do_  love you." She softly whispered against dark brown strands as fingers continued to comb through them. "I only hope that you love me back."

"Of course I love you. You're my mother." Regina muttered against Cora's jacket, her chocolate eyes lifting to meet with her mother's. "Why would you need to think otherwise?"

"You have seemed short with me since I had arrived." Cora responded quietly, her voice solemn.

Regina furrowed her brows and shifted to sit up, although continued to lean against her mother. Was she really that sad that Regina would be so short with her? That seemed to be so out of character for Cora unless she were feigning everything, which Regina had suspected that's what she'd been doing. She wouldn't put it passed her mother.

"That was because you had already started on my personal life that you have no business prying into."

"I was only concerned, Regina. You seem so lonely and this house is far too large for you to stay in all by yourself." Cora clucked her tongue and went back to stroking her daughter's hair, her gaze sliding around the large sitting room as if to solidify her point.

"You are the one who bought me the house, mother." Regina sighed, dropping her eyes to her lap. And she was quite sure why her mother had bought her such a large house in the first place was in hopes that she would be the right  _man_  and raise a family here. But years had gone by and none of that happened much to her mother's discontent.

"But it was your responsibility to fill it, dear." Cora stopped her strokes and brought her hand back to herself, pushing her daughter away from her. "You are thirty-seven! You should have had a few kids by now. You are passing middle-age and, honestly Regina, you do not have much time left on your biological clock."

"You don't need to remind me of that, mother." Regina hissed, scooting away from Cora once again. And here she goes again…

This was similar to Cora's last visit so many years ago before she reduced her checking-ins to calls. It had started as a friendly conversation which had soon sparked into something lethal. Regina's mother had ended the conversation by stomping out of the house, graced with rage, and hadn't called until a few months later acting as if nothing had happened.

But if Cora wanted what Regina thought she did, she would have to be careful this time. She couldn't scream at Regina. She couldn't force her to like boys. She couldn't do anything of that ilk and disappear like the last time. If she had truly wanted the English teacher to take over her business, she would have to act  _nice_  for once in her life. She had been doing a good job until that latest comment that had sparked an oncoming fight.

"It appears to me that you do need reminding,  _daughter_."

"How could I ever be a mother when I never had one?" Regina stood and shot daggers at her mother, who in return, gazed at her with a slack jaw.

The older woman stood as well and soon enough drew the palm of her hand across Regina's face in a slap that echoed in the otherwise quiet room. "How dare you say that to me, Regina? You would not be where you are today if it were not for me! Who had raised you? Who had provided you with food, clothes, and a roof over your head? I may have been a busy woman, but I was also a single mother and I provided you with all the love that I could give you. I have done nothing but good for you."

"Nothing but good for me, mother? Is that what you would like to call it?" Regina scoffed and took a step back from the woman in front of her, every cell in her body buzzing with anger. She could feel the sudden hatred bubble up in her chest and she felt as if she were about to just  _explode_. Her mother fed her with lies for most of her life and had never done a goddamn thing that was good.

"You have lied to me and you… you've used me..." Her cracked voice wavered with each word. She had never once stood up to her mother and it was nerve wracking doing it now. Could she really say all of what she had been bottling up all these years? Or was it only going to backfire on her in the end like everything else?

"I have not once lied to you, Regina. Where are you getting such inane ideas-?"

"This, mother!  _This!_ " Regina threw the letter that she had been holding at Cora, who watching it drop to the floor at her feet. The brunette didn't give enough time to watch her mother pick the envelope up, instead, she rushed by the woman and straight upstairs to her bedroom. She couldn't hold back any longer and she was about to burst.

And so she had as soon as the brunette teacher had collapsed on the bed. Her mother made her so very  _angry_ , but yet so very  _small_. She felt as if she wasn't large enough to stand up to her mother and point out all of the things that she had done wrong in her life. It was hard and she was absolutely  _terrified_  of what her mother would be willing to do if she were.

Cora thought she had done nothing but good with her child, but in reality, she had done the exact opposite. It had taken years for Regina to realize that, and when she had, it had been too late. Her mother already had left her mark on the brunette, one that would scar her for the rest of her life and leave her like a broken doll that would never be the same again. If she even had a point to where she ever felt whole.

_Emma makes me feel whole._

She found herself thinking, and it was certainly believable. Whenever she was with the blonde she felt this strange wholeness inside, like her heart was completely mended. All her worries could vanish in the blink of an eye and that was something amazing in itself. She had many worries and they constantly haunted her, day in and day out. But when Emma had so much as smiled at her, they were gone.

She really needed to talk to Emma right now. Regina flopped onto her back and wiped tears from her eyes. She felt so silly for being in her room and crying like this. She felt like she was back at her mother's house as a little girl and they had just argued over something that sent little Regina in tears to her room- which always ultimately ended in some sort of punishment because any emotion shown was a weakness in her mother's eyes.

The brunette teacher moved her way towards the side of the bed that Emma normally found herself on. It was strange how she seemed to be able to make herself so at home. Regina felt as if Emma were already living here, though she really was not, no matter how much she wanted that to be true.

Her mother was right. It was lonely in this house being here all by herself. It didn't feel like a home at all, except for when the blonde teenager had found herself here almost every day of the week. She felt as if they were something of a family, living together and eating together and just snuggling on the couch as they watched reruns of sitcoms on the television.

"Oh, god, what's happening…?" Regina muttered into the desolate air, tossing back onto her stomach to bury her face into the pillow Emma used. It smelled just like her. Sweet with a hint of Regina's apple shampoo.

Since when had she become so dependent on someone? It was irrational to be thinking like this. To be  _yearning_  for that blonde more than she should be. The truth, the thing right there in front of her face, felt as if it were too much to handle. She  _loved_  Emma. She  _wanted_  Emma. She wanted to be with her for the rest of her life and to have that family that Cora had seemed so adamant about Regina starting.

Would Emma want that, though? Would the blonde be willing to spend her life with Regina- who was twice her age and would be heading into retirement as Emma would be starting her life. Well, perhaps it wasn't so extreme, but would she still think her beautiful when she was old and grey? Would the young, vibrant and beautiful blonde want to move on as soon as she figured out that Regina wouldn't stay as she is forever?

The blonde had even said, so many days ago before she had left, that she wanted to find the right woman to start a family with. Did that mean that Regina wasn't the right woman? Had Emma already calculated that?

Was Regina so blind that she could not see what was fading so quickly in front of her very eyes?

"No, of course that's not happening. She just… She's still so very young." Regina assured herself, though she didn't quite believe it because how if Emma really didn't want Regina anymore? How if the feelings that they had were naught but a mere infatuation that was quickly fading?

This direction of thinking was getting her nowhere. She still had a hole in her heart, and Cora could make her way up here at any moment. She wasn't sure exactly what was in that damned envelope and she sure as hell didn't know how her mother would react to whatever was in there.

If Emma had truly cared about her, would she have reassured her to the best of her broken abilities earlier? Regina frowned and turned to her side, pulling her phone up to her face that she still had gripped tightly in her hand.

And if she  _had_  cared as she had earlier, she would surely answer now?

Regina quickly scrolled through her contacts- which were quite few- and found Emma's name to shoot her a quick message.

_**Emma. If you are available, please respond. I need to talk to you.** _

The buzzing of her phone distracted Emma away from the conversation with her friends. She blinked slightly and pulled the device from her pants pocket to check the message that no doubt came from Regina.

The brunette had earlier said that her mother was on her way to the house and to not come over until she had left. Emma had immediately asked if she would be okay and that had delved into a much deeper conversation. The blonde had to excuse herself from her friends to the bathroom to talk to her brunette lover.

She had ended up calling the older woman who sounded far from alright. She was panicking by the time she answered and had claimed that she couldn't make it through her mother's visit.

Of course, this had Emma under a rock. She didn't know how to deal with situations like this, especially since she had never had a mother of her own to deal with in such a way. But she had thrown out as many reassurances and gratifications of love that the brunette had eventually calmed down to a few heavy breaths.

"But what if she puts me under her spell?" Regina had asked, starting up once again after a few long minutes of silence. Minutes that Emma had decided the older woman had taken to think.

"What do you mean?" Emma replied. She hadn't known what Regina was inferring by saying such a thing, but it couldn't be good with the amount of worry dripping in her voice.

"Every single time that I have a conversation with her, she always seems to… warp my mind into believing that she is some sort of savior and I always end up bending to her every whim. That was how she had raised me and that's what I have been trying to break free from. But I don't know if I'm strong enough, Emma… I just don't know anymore."

That had Emma worried. What the hell type of sick, manipulative bitch was Regina's mother? Cora didn't seem to be the pleasant type with what little Regina had told her and she didn't need any more details to know that this woman appeared heartless. It was absolutely  _disgusting_  think about and she felt so terribly for her lover.

"Be strong, Gina. I know that you can do it. I believe in you." Emma whispered. Encouragement was something that everyone needed and couldn't get enough of in situations such as this. Just hopefully it would work.

"I am glad that someone does." Regina's voice cracked. "I need to go."

"Is she there?"

"She will be." The line had cut off almost immediately after and the blonde was left to worry for a few moments thereafter. She hoped that Regina would have been strong enough to get through the day with her mother.

But looking at the message now, it didn't appear that she was doing well at all. Unless Cora had left, but that wasn't probable. The message didn't scream  _mother's gone, come over!_

"On your phone again, Em? Who the hell are you talking to?" Ruby clucked her tongue. She stood across from the blonde, who had been seated next to Graham on a stool at the counter. Belle was on the other side, a chipper smile on her face as she watched the brunette next to her smirk. "You got a girlfriend?"

"None of your business." Graham gave their blonde friend a knowing look and Emma readily returned it with one that told him she would bust a ball if he ever spilled.

"So you  _do_." Ruby gave her a wolfish grin and leaned against the counter on her elbows. "Spill."

"No," Emma hissed and quickly replied to Regina, saying that she was always available for her and asked what was wrong.

"Graham?" The brunette waitress lifted her gaze to their male friend and gestured towards Emma, the grin still playing on her lips. "You know what to do."

Emma snapped her head up and glared at the two of them. "No. Don't even think about it."

"Oh, come on, Em!" Ruby feigned a pout, Belle behind her giggling.

"Maybe we should just leave her alone." The petite brunette whispered, laying a gentle hand on the older teen's back. "Come on. Just lay off it. You know how Ems likes her privacy."

"Yeah. Listen to Belle." Emma tucked her phone into her pocket and continued to shoot daggers at the trio.

"I agree with Belle." Graham finally said, shaking his head at Ruby who also glared at him. He knew what Emma would do if he were to join in Ruby's plot.

"You all suck." Ruby stuck her tongue out before sitting up, an arm slipping around Belle's waist. "All I wanted was to know, but no! You all have to go against me."

"I didn't pry into your and Belle's suspicious activities, did I? I only asked and Belle had admitted it." Emma shrugged. "I never once bothered you about it. Perhaps teased, but come on…"

The waitress huffed and Graham chuckled as Emma's phone buzzed once again.

_**My mother is here, as I had said before. Emma, honey, I need to talk to you to get my mind of the things she has said to me. You can tell me if I'm disturbing your evening. I don't want to bug you and I am perfectly fine if you cannot talk.** _

Emma's eyes slid over the text on her phone screen several times over, a frown claiming her lips. She almost felt overwhelmed with what the message had said and very nearly responded with a panicked message of not being able to handle what was going on. But she knew that she couldn't leave Regina there alone. She needed to help as much as she could. She  _cared_  for that woman with every fiber of her being, and enough so that she couldn't leave her desperate in her time of need.

_What do you want me to talk about?_

She simply asked, sending the message just as her phone got yanked from between her fingers by Ruby.

"What the hell, Rubes?!" She hissed and made a grab for her cellphone, but the waitress was quick enough to move it out of the way. Emma was no longer seated by the time Ruby had an accomplished smirk on her face. The blonde made her way around the counter to chase after her friend, Graham and Belle watching with horrified eyes as the two chased around the diner, Ruby giggling like an idiot and Emma cursing her out.

The patrons watched with slight amusements, others horrified as a couple left. Emma couldn't care less what they thought, Ruby was dead fucking meat if she didn't give her phone back. Her need to talk with Regina only fueled her desire to wipe that goddamn smirk off her best friend's face.

"Give that back!" The blonde growled just as Ruby had made her way into the bathroom. Emma followed her, but to her dismay, the door was locked as she tried for the handle several times over. "Ruby! You better give that fucking phone back or so help me I will kick your ass into next week!"

Graham and Belle and made their way now behind the blonde, both expectantly staring at the door in front of them.

"Bitch is gonna get roasted…"

"Don't hurt her too much..."

Graham whistled and Belle pleaded, respectively.

"Tell her to give me my phone back." Emma turned on Belle and grabbed her by the shoulders, forest eyes wild.

"Now, what is going on here?" Ruby's granny had come up behind the three friends who all stood in front of the women's bathroom door.

"Your granddaughter has my cellphone and she won't give it back!" Emma pointed at the wood barricading her and said person.

"Ruby!"

"Oh! You got a new message from your smiley-faced girlfriend!" Ruby teased behind the door and Emma could just  _see_  that smirk on her face as she would be waving the device in the air.

"You better not be reading  _any_  of my messages!" Emma banged her fists on the door. "Give me my damn phone back!"

But it was too late as the brunette had started to repeat what Emma assumed she was reading on the cellphone. "Thank you, dear. You do not know how much I appreciate this. I just don't think I will be able to survive my mother without you-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Emma screeched and banged on the door once again. Luckily, Ruby  _had_  stopped reading, but that only had the blonde staring at the door. She needed that goddamn phone and the waitress seemed so adamant to keep it. Why did she have such obnoxious friends?

The door soon opened, though, before the blonde could panic more about her friend reading the message that was surely private. Luckily, it wouldn't be giving away the sender, since Emma had made sure not to have Regina's name there. Though, she  _had_  sent it in the past and it would have only been a matter of chance if Ruby hadn't actually gone through her messages to get that far.

Ruby looked solemn as she appeared in the doorway and dropped Emma's phone into the blonde's awaiting hand. She didn't looked amused whatsoever. She looked the complete opposite, in actuality. And that scared Emma.

Did she read the rest of the message? Or the ones previous? And what had it said, if she  _did_  read the damned thing?

"I'm sorry." Ruby gravely muttered and moved past Emma, Belle following behind her like a puppy.

"What's going on?" Graham stuck behind as Emma leaned against the wall to take a look at the message that had seemed to change her friend's mood completely. "Is it…  _Regina?_ "

"Stuff's going on, yeah. But not between us. Don't worry about it." Emma shrugged and read.

_**Thank you, dear. You do not know how much I appreciate this. I just don't think I will be able to survive my mother without you. If I stop responding, my mother has caught my attention. I can hear her move around downstairs, so it might be soon. Emma, tell me about your day.** _

The sudden demand had Emma almost mystified, but she suspected that the older woman had wanted to get her mind off things. After all, she was the one that wanted Emma to speak to her about anything. Starting off with her day would be a good way to handle things, even though they had talked prior about this.

"Emma?" Graham lowered his face and ducked in front of the blonde, a concerned expression on his face. "Is there something wrong? The way Ruby… Did she find out?"

"No." Emma simply replied, looking up at her male friend. She frowned. If Ruby had read this, she would know that something was up and that wasn't good. Out of context, it sounded rather urgent and almost  _insane_.

"Oh…"

"Don't worry about it." Emma shrugged and quickly tapped a response before hitting send. She didn't want to keep too long to raise suspicions from her friends, though, she was already on radar.

_Of cours Gina. Yu're welcum. Dont worry abut it. Im doing alright. My day wasnt too bad. I went w/ Ruby Belle and Graham to see movie at theater. It was boring and Ruby and Belle were making out behind Graham and me. We ate popcorn and thats when I was talking w/ you earlier. Rigt now Im at Grannys w/ them. Im waiting for MM n David to pick me up bring me home. Its super cold n snowy outside n thy didnt wnt me wlking. Rubys granny wasnt fond of her driving so im stuck here. Srry for my crappy typin just trying to gt back to them w/o qstion. Rby took my cell n im afraid she read last msg_

Emma slipped onto the diner stool again, Graham following suit.

"Did you read the rest of that message?" Emma quirked a brow at the brunette waitress who donned a guilty look. She nodded slowly and so did Emma, sighing as she slumped against the stood.

"Look, I'm sorry…" The brunette mumbled, leaning on her elbows again. "But… What the hell's going on?"

"None of your goddamn business."

"It sounded pretty intense." Ruby shrugged, her eyes on Emma's cellphone.

"And it's still none of your goddamn business." Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette and looked at the new message that had her phone buzzing once again. That was quick.

_**I think she's coming up the stairs, Emma. If I disappear, please don't worry. I will message you later when I can. If you can, for now, tell Graham that I had said hello and hope that he is doing well. Does he like the wolves that you painted for him? I understand if you are typing incoherently. Does Ruby know that it's me?** _

"Emma? If something's going on… and something bad, you should inform the sheriff."

"Yes. Tell my  _father_." Emma rolled her eyes and glared up at her friend. "Look, everything is fine. Alright? Don't worry about it."

"If you're sure…"

"I am." The blonde shook her head and went back to her phone to send in a reply, though she could hear her friends buzzing about the message in her ear. Ruby was answering Graham's question about what she had read and Belle seemed to be filling in parts that the waitress must have told her earlier.

"Shut up about it." Emma growled. "It's my own private conversation that I would like to keep to myself and no one else."

"Sorry…" Graham mumbled, looking away.

Belle had done the same and Ruby merely frowned, her sparkling orbs on Emma as she continued to write in a message, hitting send soon after.

_No. She doesn't know who you are. Don't worry about that. I'll be sure to give him the message later. Right now I have Ruby and Belle breathing down my neck. He really liked the painting. He said he loved it and that I should make more for him. It was well worth the one-hundred that I got on the damned thing. I'll be here for you, even if I'm not. Think of me._

_**She's coming… Talk to you later.** _

Emma nearly gasped at the message that had appeared so quickly on her screen. Cora was on her way to Regina's room and she couldn't be there to save her. Oh, she wished that she could be. She only hoped that nothing bad would come of it and that Regina would be able to take care of herself. Cora wasn't  _that_  sadistic, was she? She wouldn't harm her daughter… Would she?

The blonde chewed on the inside of her cheeks, anxiously tapping her phone on her lap. She wasn't going to rest until she got another message from her brunette lover. She wouldn't be able to do anything but worry about what was going to happen in that house on 108 Mifflin Street.

"What's wrong, Em? You've gone pale…" Ruby piped up in concern, eyes sharply focused on the blonde in front of her, whose blood had completely drained from her face. Belle leaned in with a replicated look and Graham on her other side the same.

"I'm fine…" Emma weakly reassured, slipping her phone into her jacket pocket. "I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am. I'm fine…"  _I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine._  She kept telling herself that, hoping that it would soon come true. It would drive her from the reality that she was scared  _shitless_  for Regina because who the hell knew what her mother was capable of.

The bell to the diner suddenly tinged as someone had entered, and Emma nearly flew out of her seat. Perhaps that was Mary Margaret and David. That would be good. She could go home and rest until the queasiness in her stomach subsided.

But when she turned to lay eyes upon the newcomer, she was all frozen stiff in her spot. A redheaded woman had entered the premises, skin pale and eyes bright green as they traveled over the makings of the restaurant. She took a seat by the door, soon picking up a menu.

"Who's that?" Emma could hear Belle ask and Ruby responded with a negatively.

"I don't know. She checked into the bed and breakfast last week."

But Emma knew  _exactly_  who that woman was as her friends were left mystified. She couldn't tell them that she knew for they would only question her as to how she would know. And she had to resist the urge to scream and throw a few punches to the bitch that had hurt her girlfriend that night.

"Do you know who it is, Em?" Graham asked, nudging the blonde's arm. He was gazing at her as if he knew that she knew who it was, but he also knew that she wouldn't answer the question in a way that would confirm it.

"No," Emma muttered, turning to face Ruby and Belle once again as her mind screamed:

 _Zelena_.

Regina heard her mother say that name as she threw the door to her bedroom open, holding the letter high in the air with a tight grip. Her nostrils flared and her eyes burned as if someone had betrayed her.

Cora knew that she couldn't hide the fact that she had another daughter, but she would be damned if she would admit to it. She would find a way to blame things on Regina as she did with many things, including her father, Henry's, death so many years ago.

"Yes, you mean the illegitimate daughter that you threw away before I was even thought of?" Regina quipped, sitting up as she slide her phone under Emma's pillow. "She may have visited a few days ago, and a week before in advance to warn me of something… Then confront me about a life that I could not help."

"What do you mean?" Cora hissed, stomping towards the bed that Regina still occupied. The brunette looked up at her mother and clucked.

"She told me that you were dying."

Her mother stumbled, looking as if she had gotten slapped across the face. "I-I…"

"Failed to tell me about this. Is this why you wanted to visit me on such a whim? To tell me that you would be dying? And that you want to pass your business onto me?" Regina hissed, palms slamming against the mattress. "Because I don't want it! I don't want  _any_  of it! Why don't you just give it to  _her?_  That's what she wants and that's what she's threatening me about."

"Because she is not  _my_  daughter. Not anymore."

"She's your daughter whether you like it or not, mother." Cora glared at her, moving threateningly close.

"You will not talk to me like that."

"This was all your formulated plan, wasn't it? Raise me to become the next heir of your business and try to perfect me to be so. Why hadn't you shoved me into law school, then?" Regina pressed her back to the headboard as Cora made another step towards her, head ducking down to her level. "Zelena seems to be the most profitable choice in this situation. She  _wants_  this. I  _don't_. She's trained in this. I'm not."

"But she was not raised by me!"

"But she's not  _gay_  like I am! Isn't that what you want? A normal child?"  _Slap!_

"I will not tolerate you speaking to me like that, Regina." Cora grabbed the brunette teacher's shoulders and squeezed. Regina remained stone still despite the bruises she was sure would form. "I raised you  _better_ than this. I raised you to take over my firm and taught you every valuable aspect to run it. It is not my fault you were such an insolent child. You have only grown into an even more insolent woman that will not appreciate what is given to her."

"I never  _asked_  for any of this, mother." Regina brought her gaze up to meet with Cora's, her jaw clenched when her mother's nails dug painfully into her flesh. "At least with her, you would get everything you ever wanted in a daughter that I could not provide."

"Don't you understand what I am saying, you stupid woman? I  _don't_  want her!" Cora hissed, her face mere inches from Regina's. She could feel her mother's breath blow hot against her face and the way her nails dug into her flesh, damn well near piercing it through the cloth of her shirt.

"But she wants  _you_. She's  _jealous_  of me, mother. She came into my house and blatantly showed just that. She wants  _my_  life, sans the teaching job. She wants you to want her. She wants you to accept her as part of the family." Regina grunted, trying to keep her distance from her mother, though she knew it was futile. The older woman loomed over her like a shadow, a wicked grin on her lips.

"Oh, but dear, what she doesn't understand is that I do not want her. I don't care if she can bear me children. I don't care if she wants control of the firm. She only wants this for one reason and that is the money. She grew up poor, I am sure. She is greedy. She is  _green_  with envy for  _you_ , my love, because you have everything that she does not." Cora released her daughter and clambered onto the bed next to her. Regina remained still, watching her mother's every movement with baited breath. "She has explained it all in her letter to me and I have read between the lines. She wants the high life and the lavish items. Do you know what she would be willing to do to get those items, my daughter?"

"What?" Regina muttered, looking away from her mother.

"She would be willing to do so much for me." Cora's eyes twinkled. "So much more than you could ever do. She had offered me such high expectations, but you know, one always falls short of such things. She wouldn't be able to go through with it."

"With what?"

Cora turned her gaze to meet with Regina's, and suddenly a spark of fear trembled down her spine. "She would be willing to  _kill_  for me. She would be willing to  _create_  life for me. She would be willing to  _follow_  every order that I would give to her."

"Then why don't you want her? No fuss, correct?" Regina winced when her mother spoke, her tone a deadly whisper. Zelena would  _kill_  for her?

"It's too easy, my love. Don't you understand? She would be  _willing_  to do these things for me and it is no fun."

"So you would rather fight tooth and nail with me?" Regina scoffed. "I don't believe a word of it."

"Oh, but Regina, you have so much potential and even more that than your dear sister." Cora stroked the teacher's dark locks, a smile on her face.

"How do I, mother? I am opposite what you want." The brunette tried her best to ignore her mother's hand, but she could feel her body slowly leaning towards the older woman's own. "I cannot provide you with whatever you desire and you know this. I will not give you a son-in-law, and I will not take over this business of which I have no interest."

"Darling, I do not mind." She soothed, accepting her daughter's form against her own. She brought her arm around Regina and continued to run her fingers through the younger woman's hair, holding her as if she owned her entire being. And she did. "You do not have to provide me those things. I just want you to be my daughter."

"I was always your daughter." Regina tried to will her body away, but she just could not move. Her mother had grasped her by the heart and it was impossible to pull away. She was falling, and fast. She needed to think of a way to get herself out of the hole her mother was digging.

"I'm dying, Regina."

"I know that." The brunette paused and looked up to meet her mother's gaze, which had turned sullen and the look on her face indicated that there was more to it.

"I have come to terms that I will never be able to change your mind, Regina. I want to be on friendly grounds with you until I depart from this Earth. Our war must end, my love. I miss my daughter."

Regina frowned and dropped her gaze. Her mother was dying and she wanted to spend time with Regina? Or at least not be cold towards one another. All the alarms in her mind right now were blaring, calling bullshit on whatever her mother was providing. She didn't know what to believe, but she still wanted so much to be close to her mother. Cora had never been this affectionate with her. And, honestly, Regina didn't want to let it go.

She melted into her mother, eyes closing as she felt the older woman's hand move up and down her back as if she were soothing her from a tearful tantrum. She was that child again. She was brought back into her mother's arms, engulfed by that sweet, rose scent.

"I miss you too, mother." Regina finally whispered, turning her nose into her mother's silk blouse.

"Are you really dying?" She asked, her voice soft- broken- as she finally spoke after several moments of silence. It had felt as if the reality of those words just sunk in, leaving her breathless. If her mother was truly dying, how could she handle it?

"Yes, my love." Cora whispered, bringing her daughter tighter against her body.

"What is it?"

"Something terminal."

"How long?"

"They aren't certain. But they had said I've had it for quite some time and it's just now taking its toll on me." The older woman explained, rubbing Regina's back when she stiffened from the news. "They are giving me six months to a year, but it could be longer. They say I'm a tough old biddy."

"You are, mother. You definitely are." Regina croaked. "But I thought you would be immortal."

"No one is, darling." Cora hushed as the brunette sniffled.

"Don't you want someone to take on your business?"

"It has been running for nearly forty years, dear." Her mother assured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I think it is fine to slowly diminish."

"But you're doing so well with it. Your clients… They will-"

"They will find someone else to support them." Cora murmured.

Regina sighed softly and snuggled against her mother's side. Cora had built this business from ground up and it had become quite successful throughout her lifetime. It was a sad thing to see it go to waste after her mother passed. But Regina didn't know a thing about lawyering and she sure as hell didn't have a desire to run such a hectic business anyways. She found teaching to be quite heinous at times, but it suit her perfectly.

If she were to have children of her own one day, how would she get time to spend with them? Cora had never had enough time to spend with her, being a single mother while running this damned business. Regina didn't want that for any child she might have, nor did she want that for her partner.

Regina couldn't fathom why Cora didn't want Zelena to take over the business. She would have been perfect for the job and a willing contestant. The firm would live on and all would be happy, but her mother didn't want that. She didn't like other's joy. It was really no wonder why she had been pushing this onto Regina and her sudden change of heart worried the brunette greatly. Whatever she had up her sleeve wasn't good.

"In her letter, Zelena said that you told her that you were sterile. Is that true?" Cora inquired Regina as the younger woman blinked with slight confusion. She had nearly forgotten that she told her dear sister that to save Emma's hide those days ago.

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?"

"I have my reasons." Regina husked, staring at the wall in front of her.

"You didn't tell her that you were-"

"No. I didn't feel that she needed to know."

"Why would you bring any of this up in the first place?" Cora shifted, her finger twirling a piece of Regina's hair around it. "It is not true, is it?"

"No. It's not." The brunette lay rigid. "I asked her if she were gay and that was why you didn't want her. But she replied negatively and turned the question on me. I felt that she needn't know and told her just as you brought up. That I couldn't have children, because she somehow knew that I hadn't beforehand."

"She mentioned there was a blonde woman here." Cora suddenly stated. "Young, almost like a teenager. Were you covering because of this young woman?"

"She's one of my students." Regina hissed through clenched teeth.

"Oh?"

"I was tutoring her." The brunette quickly mended. She knew exactly where her mother's thoughts were veering. And she would not be wrong, but Regina didn't want to risk that.

"Zelena had suspicions." Cora spoke, pulling the letter up from beside her and read from it. "'Dearest mother, I fear that our precious Regina might not be quite as normal as we had hoped. She had a spiel of telling me she were sterile, but I did not believe it for one minute. There was a young woman with her and I fear that she is covering up for something far greater. She had lied to you, if she had told you she were sterile as well for two women cannot produce a fruit for her womb…' She knew you were lying, Regina."

The brunette woman didn't relax in her spot. She wondered what other thoughts that Zelena had written in that letter for her mother. What else did she say about Regina that she was quite sure Cora already knew? Whatever this was had probably turned into a last ditch effort to win her mother over.

"Who really was this young, blonde woman, Regina?" Cora inquired, eyes never leaving the letter.

"I told you, she is one of my-"

"Following you around like a puppy? The words in this letter prove otherwise, darling. Do not lie to me." Cora pushed Regina violently away from her, leaving the brunette to fall on the opposite side of the bed. She looked over to her mother, mocha orbs wide as saucers. "Tell me the truth, Regina! A  _student_  would not touch you nor would she 'try to calm you down'."

"She's no one, mother…"

"Stop fibbing, Regina. You know better than that." The older woman swiftly moved, the letter floating from her fingers as she pinned her daughter to the bed, wrists above head.

"Mother!" Regina yelped in alarm, struggling beneath her mother's grip. The woman was surprisingly strong. "I am no longer a little girl."

"But you sure are fucking little girls now, aren't you, Regina?" Cora's grip on Regina's wrists tightened enough to earn a squeak from the younger woman, who stared vulnerably into her mother's vicious eyes. "That's just  _sick!_  You can't get anyone your age, can you? You don't realize how  _sick_  you and your  _disgusting_  lifestyle are."

"I'm not  _fucking_  little girls!" Regina tried to maintain her sanity as she struggled in her mother's grip, though it only proved futile as the older woman's grip tightened, crushing her wrists so painfully. The brunette clenched her jaw and remained silent, not willing to give Cora the satisfaction of her discomfort.

She knew that her mother would do this. And she knew better, but she fell once again for her mother's affection. Cora knew that's what Regina longed for and took advantage of the teacher's secret desire to get what she wanted. She was a parasite, using Regina for the things that she could offer through a gilded approach. She reeled her in just to destroy her, like a fish.

And Regina had let her guard down as she had told herself not to do all night. She was here as a result, her mother's fingers around her neck, nearly blocking her airway with the squeezes she gave.

"You are  _lying_  to me!"  _Squeeze_. Regina could barely breathe now as she struggled to get oxygen into her lungs.

"I-I…"

"The next words out of your mouth better be the truth, Regina." Cora hissed, ducking her head to lay mere inches from Regina's own, her teeth bared in a snarl. Her daughter shrunk against the bed, which had relieved some of the pressure against her throat, but the hand that had held both of her wrists remained.

"Who was that woman at your house?"

"M-My student…" Regina answered honestly, though her mother hadn't taken it as the truth. Her fingers wrapped tighter around the darker woman's slender throat. Each breath was a struggle for air, but she remained calm and no longer struggled. It would only piss her mother off further. She had learned from experience. Cora would choke her until she was on the brink of death, but would never go through with the action. Murder never looked good on a record.

"Lies! Tell me who that woman is!" Regina's mother snarled, all sense of humanity gone from her brown eyes.

Regina gasped for air, desperate now to get oxygen into her burning lungs. Her body was seizing with panic now and she could feel herself start to hyperventilate. Darkness crept into the corner of her vision as she began to struggle once again. Her mother wanted the answer that Regina was not willing to give and would soon rather pass out due to lack of oxygen than to tell that  _monster_  who her lover was.

" _Who is she, Regina?!"_  Cora's voice was nothing but menacing, but Regina was slipping from consciousness and at a rather rapid pace as well.

She smiled, darkness and tears clouding her vision. Her mother would never know of the blonde's face in her mind's eye, grinning sweetly at her in return.

 _Emma_.

"Yeah?" Emma popped her head up as she heard her name being called from the front of the diner. Mary Margaret and David were here, the latter was the one to call out to her.

"Are you ready, dear?" That was Mary Margaret, who wore a sweet smile as Emma gathered her bags.

The blonde turned to her friends with a smile and waved. "Bye, guys. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Tell me what you get, girl." Ruby grinned and winked. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"We'll see." Emma chuckled and turned to hug Graham. "I don't know if I'll see you before you leave."

"Maybe." He grinned and returned the hug. "I can drop by."

"Awesome." The blonde looked to Belle who appeared to be staring at something across the diner. Emma followed her gaze curiously to land on the newcomer. Zelena.

It had been about a half hour and the woman still hadn't left. She had been enjoying her meal as slowly as possible. Emma didn't mind, just so as long as she didn't recognize her enough to say something.

"Bye, Belle." Emma waved a hand in front of her friend's face, chuckling when she jumped.

"Oh, yeah. See you." She grinned and drew her attention away from the redheaded woman.

Emma nodded and headed towards her foster parents, who were waiting patiently for the blonde to gather herself. Sooner rather than later, they left the diner and headed into the oncoming blizzard to find David's truck parked just outside.

"I've never seen her before." David seemed to have continued a conversation he and Mary Margaret had been having when they reached the truck and got in. Emma sat squished between the two of them as his wife answered.

"I haven't either."

"Who?" The blonde asked, hugging her bag close.

"That woman in the diner. She was sitting by the door. She had auburn hair in a clip." Mary Margaret responded. David started up the truck and began to pull away from the curb.

"Her name is Zelena. She checked in at the bed and breakfast, so Ruby had said." Emma shrugged. There was no harm in knowing her name, right? Ruby knew it, but didn't know  _who_  the woman was.

"Huh. I wonder how long she's going to be in town." The short-haired brunette wondered aloud, her eyes on the road. "Maybe I'll run into her and I can show her around."

 _Oh, god, don't do that_.

"Maybe." Emma shrugged, looking at her hands. "But you never know with newcomers of who they might be or whatever. She could be a murderer for all we know."

"She certainly doesn't look it." Mary Margaret smiled and Emma was about to be sick.

"We're home." David announced before his wife could speak any further. The trio exited the truck and made their way quickly to the loft, soon entering through the door marked with a 3.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Mary Margaret asked, her voice a little too cheerful, as they stopped in the dining room bit of the house.

"Yeah, I guess." Emma shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her foster mother frowned.

"You don't seem too excited…"

"I'm just not really used to the holiday." The blonde shrugged again. "But I do appreciate what you do for me, don't think I don't."

"I know, Emma." Mary Margaret pulled her into an unexpected hug, a wide grin on her face. "Why don't you run up to bed? It's quite late and I'm sure you would like to be well-rested for the morning."

"I'm not… I guess." Emma blinked, hugging the woman back. She was about to pull away until David had come up behind her and made her into a sandwich, hugging his foster daughter and wife from behind.

"Goodnight…" she grumbled, trying to wiggle away from the two.

"Goodnight, honey." Mary Margaret dropped a kiss to the top of her head and David followed, repeating the same words.

"We'll get you up in the morning. Don't stay up too late." He warned as the blonde nodded, turning towards the stairs to head up to her room.

"I won't!" She called out behind her, making her way up the stairs.

Emma wasn't entirely sure how long she would be staying up, but she sure as hell wasn't tired at this moment. She was hoping to do some finishing touch-ups on Regina's painting, which she had taken with her when she went with her friends over the weekend and the days that followed.

They never asked and she never told, so she was able to complete it while they sat around Graham's room at the bed and breakfast and talked with one another. Of course, her male friend knew exactly why she was doing the portrait, or so she assumed. He never addressed her on it, but the way he looked at her when she pulled it out with the wolf painting told her all she needed to know.

All she needed to do now was put a few touch-ups and last minute add-ins and it was complete. She only hoped that Regina would like it, especially in the frame that she had ordered for it. When she had bought one for Graham's painting, she purchased an additional one for this painting as well since they were the same size. She figured not to let either one get ruined outside a case and it would take a load off the receivers if she were to put a little bit of money into the gift by getting something to store it in.

The frame was wood colored black with golden detail on the leaf design carved into it. Or at least that was Graham's. The leaves reminded her of the forest, which had gone well with the wolf theme. For Regina's, she had decided on a bamboo type frame, also painted black but with silver detail. It was pretty self-explanatory why it went with the panda them, and perfectly at that, when she stuck the painting briefly into the frame to test its appearance.

Graham had acted rather delighted upon first laying eyes on the painting when Emma had handed it over. She had mentioned that she had a special, hand-made gift for him but hadn't exactly revealed what it was. He seemed pretty excited then and even more so when she had pulled it from her bag.

"Holy shit, Emma. I wished I got you something better…" Graham had held the frame in hand, eyes wide as he stared at the collage of wolves on the paper. "It… looks so… awesome. I can't even explain. You're perfect!"

"No I'm not. I just have a lot of time on my hands." Emma had shrugged, but the proud grin on the face gave her away.

"It's super detailed and I love it. I will be sure to hang this up in my living room as soon as I arrive home." He gave the painting one last look before setting it down on the couch behind them. Then he grabbed a small box, wrapped delicately in silver wrapping paper. He handed it over to Emma with a grin. "It's not as awesome or heartfelt as yours, but I saw it in a shop and thought of you."

The blonde had quickly ripped the paper off, muttering, "you didn't have to get me anything."  
"Oh, but I did." He smirked as she opened the box to reveal a rather small glass swan, clear as the sea with bright green eyes- studded with what looked like emerald pieces. It almost reminded her of the wolf that he had given Ruby earlier.

"Holy shit man…" Emma picked the little bird up and looked at it, almost afraid to handle the damned thing in fear of breaking it. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it." He smiled widely.

And she did like it. She loved the damned thing. Emma had slipped it back into the box and placed it carefully into a compartment in her messenger bag that she was currently digging through to retrieve the box. Once she found it, she pulled it out and opened it up to take a look at the immaculate glass swan. It was one of the best gifts that she had ever received, though she had to admit, she didn't know what she would do with this little knick-knack. She wasn't one for collecting things like this.

Mary Margaret was, with her little things scattered throughout the house on end tables and bookshelves. With a shrug, she turned around and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed, fitting it beside the little lamp there. It looked nice and the light reflected inside the little bird, making it appear to glow.

"Awesome." She muttered, setting the box on the little shelf underneath the nightstand. She'd have to show Mary Margaret and David later. They'd been so busy to rush her upstairs, no doubt to prepare for tomorrow morning that she had completely forgot about it. And the other things that her friends had given her.

Ruby had given her one of those hot cocoa kits complete with a rather large mug, a couple packets of powdered of cocoa, some of those mini marshmallows, and peppermint sticks. Then she had ended up handing Emma a second gift, in which she had opened with a quirked brow only to notice that it was a small container of cinnamon.

The blonde had returned the favor by handing over a little notepad with a picture of a wolf on it as a sort of gag gift, saying that she could now have her own special little order taking pad for her waitressing job. Later on, though, she had given the brunette waitress her real gift, which was a frilly, red scarf that she had come across one day at the mall when she went with her parents for their holiday shopping.

That's where she also found the books that she had given Belle, a box set to the series that she had enjoyed. Emma could never remember the name of them, but clearly remembered the pictures on the covers and how much the small brunette enjoyed the series, which she always had checked out from the library. Belle had been rather ecstatic upon receiving the gift, saying that she could never find the entire set together. Emma had struck gold.

And she received, in return, a lovely painting of a swan that her friend had been working on it art for her. She had told Emma to avoid looking over at her side of the table as if it were the plague. Why she never moved tables, the blonde didn't know, because she caught glimpses of the project as her friend worked. But when she had given it to Emma in its final stage, the blonde could have wept. The large, white swan looked absolutely  _amazing_ , and she was sure if anyone else were to do the same thing, they couldn't make it as perfect as the one Belle had.

Which had reminded her, she needed to hand that damned thing up soon, after finding a place in her room for it.

She would deal with that later, since it was so late at night and the banging on the walls would surely alert her parents and the neighboring people that lived around them. Emma would work on the panda painting until she got tired enough to fall asleep, or so she decided, getting up from her bed to retrieve the items she needed to complete her project.

Emma was able to finish it up within two hours, after a few times of nearly falling asleep and taking breaks to wake herself up. She set the paper out to dry on the top of her dresser and moved back over to her mattress after cleaning up the paints and paintbrush, which she had to sneak quietly downstairs to do so.

It had been dark and quiet and she feared that she would wake on of her foster parents up, that was, until she heard a giggle. And then something that very nearly sounded like a groan that had Emma nearly sprinting back upstairs with a wet paintbrush.

That was one thing she hated about this damned loft. It was an open floor plan downstairs and her parents' bedroom didn't necessarily have a door, if it was even a bedroom at all. She couldn't count how many times she had walked downstairs to find them doing things that she wished she could erase from her vision and would make her blush in the morning when she saw them.

Shuddering, the blonde made her way back to her bed and collapsed on top of it, trying to erase the horrible, X-rated images from her brain. Oh, how she wished she could use brain bleach and take away all those horrible, horrible sights burned into it.

"Ugh…" she tossed onto her stomach and flicked the lamp off. Hopefully she would be able to sleep. Oh, god, did she hope so. And did she hope that they weren't  _loud_. She knew that they tried to be quiet, but sometimes they weren't, and it kept Emma up at some odd hours of the night. It was rather disturbing.

Normally, she didn't mind talk or whatnot about things like that, especially with other people and her foster parents. But when she had to  _hear_  them copulating, well, it wasn't the most pleasant of things. It was sort of like talking about porn versus watching it. One would make you blush more than the other and give you hell of a lot more visualization.

After a constant toss and turn and more life-scarring images for more than an hour, Emma had finally huffed and flipped onto her back. She pulled her phone off the nightstand and woke it up to see if she had received any new messages from Regina. The older brunette said she would message her back later. But then again, didn't she say something about doing it when she got away from her mother? Or was that something implied?

With a sigh, Emma sat the small device back down and tossed back onto her side again. She hoped that Regina was alright. She more than likely was. That woman could handle anything, especially her mother, right? Of course. This wasn't a movie. Everything would be fine.

Taking one last attempt, Emma closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep again. Perhaps if she thought of something else, something boring like history or math, she would eventually fall asleep. Or perhaps she could think herself to the point of exhaustion. She often times found herself falling asleep in the middle of thought, or at least could never recall a conclusion to one.

The world around her started to go dark, fading out as unconsciousness took her under its wing.

But then suddenly she could  _breathe_  as air rushed into her lungs. Her vision had cleared up, the black vignette disappearing, soon replaced by little black dots as oxygen made its way in plentiful heaps to her brain.

Cora had let go, though remained straddling her stomach, her grip still tight on Regina's bruising wrists. The brunette looked up at her mother, wondering why the hell she stopped. Perhaps she could tell that Regina was on the verge of losing consciousness because the younger woman was well aware.

"Are you going to tell me who that woman was, Regina?" Cora asked once again, this time her voice had taken a couple steps down the aggressive ladder and sounded much calmer.

She had her head cocked to one side as the brunette coughed into the air, unable to cover her mouth as she did so. The large intakes of air had dried her throat out and she could feel the damage that her mother had done, and it hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. She would sure have bruises of her mother's fingers.

"I already told you…" she muttered weakly, trying to regain her voice.

"You have told me nothing but lies!"

"Why do you want to know?" Regina spat, glaring at her mother. "Why should I tell you when I know all you're going to do is hunt her down and turn her away from me. God forbid I can be happy!"

Cora didn't hesitate to slap once again. A squeak had involuntarily left Regina's lips and her head snapped to the side with the force of her mother's hand. Regina grit her teeth, ignoring the new stinging sensation in her cheek that was probably already an angry red.

"So you do admit that you have a lover?" She asked, eyes narrowing as she stared into her daughter's eyes, which were gleaming with tears. "This… blonde?"

"Yes! She is." Regina finally hissed. "And that's all you're getting out of me. I…  _can't_ …"

"You don't need this woman in your life!"

"What right do you have to dictate my life?" The brunette struggled once again against her mother's grip, this time succeeding with one wrist freed.

"Just leave me  _alone!_ " She used that hand to remove her mother's own from her other arm and pushed the older woman off her and onto the floor with a thump.

Cora remained silent. If looks could kill, Regina would definitely be six feet under, but she didn't care. She felt this  _power_ , this sudden adrenaline course through her veins. The pressure that had always seemed to weigh her down was lifting and she felt as if she could breathe again.

Regina sat up, stark and proud, her eyes flashing with a sinister appeal. "I want you to leave my house, mother. I am sorry, but I cannot help you with whatever you have planned. You will die a lonely, bitter old woman and I hope every single day until then you will think back to this day and see how badly you had screwed up. I am tired of you controlling my life and I have finally found a happiness that I never had with you."

The brunette leaned against the bed, trying her best to get eye level with her mother who had stared at her in a state of shock. "And when I  _do_  have my own children, and  _if_  you are even alive then, I will be having the last laugh."

"You are making a mistake, Regina."

"The only mistake that I have ever made was believing in your bullshit." The English teacher watched her mother stand in her spot to bend over and pick up the letter from her other daughter that had landed on the floor when she had thrown it earlier.

"I do hope you know that you will no longer have a mother in your life if you let me walk out that door, Regina." Cora stared at her daughter in an intense moment.

Regina could feel herself breaking in two. She wanted so badly to tell her mother to fuck off and never show her face again, because that part was  _so_  freeing, but there was still a small part of her that wanted her mother there for her. She didn't want her last conversation with her mother to be this awful argument and regret it when she did pass in the future.

Despite everything that Cora did, a sick, twisted part of Regina still loved that woman. But what would she be if she were to let her mother walk out that door right now? If Cora lived up to her word, Regina would never see, let alone hear, from her again. And that thought had sent the brunette's heart sinking.

She was conflicted. The right thing to do was to stop Cora from leaving, she knew that. But the thing she  _wanted_ to do sounded like the easier, less stressful option.

"I thought so." Cora murmured, a faint smirk on her lips. "I will utilize the guest bedroom and let you calm down."

"Mother…" For some reason, it didn't surprise her that her mother would assume that the brunette's hesitation was an internal debate about what she had said. It was just like Cora, she thought, sighing as she hunched over in her spot in defeat. Her ego had deflated now and the surge of confidence was gone.

"I will see you in the morning, dear." Cora closed the distance between she and the bed, her scent overwhelming Regina's senses once again. It was both haunting and beautiful. "I love you." She leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to the top of Regina's head before turning towards the door to leave.

Regina scrubbed her face with her hands when her mother pulled the door behind her and nearly cried out in frustration. Cora would never leave her life, no matter how much she wanted or detested the thought. Her mother would always be there and so would her cruel ways.

She needed a bath. She needed a nice, long, warm bath to calm her nerves. And she also needed to figure out the damage that Cora had done to her. When she had pulled her hands away from her face, she caught sight of the bruised, olive flesh around her wrists where her mother had held her. It only made sense. The damned things throbbed and it hurt like hell to move them.

Regina sighed once again, this one going out to the things that she would always be stuck with- the things that would always haunt the hell out of her. She slipped from the bed and picked out fresh clothes from her closet before making her way to the en suite bathroom to soak in the tub. This night had felt so long and, even though it was still young, she felt exhausted as hell.

She would got to sleep, she concluded, after she was finished with her soak. That way, her mother's visit would be over sooner.

 _Ah, yes_ , she moaned as she slipped into the steaming bath she had drawn for herself. That was definitely the perfect plan. Her mother said she would stay long and hopefully she would keep to her word. The faster she got Cora out of her, the sooner she could have Emma over. She very much missed the blonde teenager, not having seen her for almost a week now.

Which had reminded her, she needed to message the blonde. Hopefully she wouldn't be asleep by the time Regina got out of the tub. It would be an absolute shame if she were.

She missed Emma something fierce. She missed her gorgeous, ever thick blonde curls. She missed that beautiful, vibrant smile. She missed those forest green eyes whose sparkles danced whenever she laid eyes on her. She missed that perfect, tight little ass and the hugs that allowed her to grope it. She missed her sweet, wet-…

Regina's eyes popped open when she realized where her thoughts were venturing and what exactly what they were doing to her body. She could feel her center tingle with excitement at the thought of her blonde lover, thumping with its own heartbeat that made her shift uncomfortable in the tub.

It had been a week since they had done anything, she knew for certain. Of course, Regina had gone longer, and really, it shouldn't be any problem whatsoever. After all, their relationship wasn't exactly based on sex, now was it?

But, oh  _god_ , did she crave for Emma's touch right now?

"No… no… Stop it." The brunette shifted, sloshing the water around her as she tried to relieve the overwhelming tingles that coursed down her spine, throughout her body, and built up within her core.

But no matter how much she had tried to will the ceaseless ache away, it had not once subsided, in fact, it had only intensified the more her mind drew back to her blonde lover. Her heartbeat had quickened, leaving her almost breathless at a thought stirring in her mind.

Should she relieve herself? It was only natural, after all. And her sudden arousal that had seemed to hit her like a goddamn freight train didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

Regina slowly slid deeper into the soapy water until it had covered her breasts and closed her eyes as she brought a hand to slide between her thighs.

And she began, working at her clit with two fingers, circling it in tight, frantic motions. Her hips moved wantonly with her movements as she tried to add more friction, her breath coming in short gasps.

It wasn't her hand pleasuring herself, she fantasized. It was Emma's. The young woman was right there in the tub with her. She was the one slipping a finger into her hot, quivering entrance, pumping it hard into her as the brunette moved her legs to prop up on either side of the tub. She thrust her hips forward to meet her fingers, desperately trying to achieve the release that she could feel creeping up on her.

"Oh, Emma…" she couldn't help but the gasp into the air, her head thrusting back and knocking against the tub, but luckily not hard enough to lose consciousness. And it hadn't faltered her pumps as she continued on her fantasy of Emma taking care of her, her hot, wet mouth covering every inch of her slick, olive skin.

Regina moaned softly. Just the  _images_  were helping her climb up the mountain of her climax and she could very nearly  _taste_  her release. She was almost there.  _Almost there_. Her buttocks tensed when she lifted her hips higher and higher, her fingers pressing rapidly against the center of her excitement as the others slipped from her slit.

Then there was a knock on the door, followed by a voice.

"Are there any fresh towels that I can use? I cannot seem to find them." Her mother had asked the question through the door, and that had Regina startled enough that one of her legs slipped from the side of the tub and fell heavily into the water. The floor wasn't spared of the liquid as it spilled from the edges in great waves as her other leg clambered down into it, her entire body seizing panic as she felt herself nearly go under.

"Regina? Are you alright, darling?" Cora asked frantically now, trying for the doorknob that the brunette had thankfully locked earlier.

Regina gaped at the door, her fingers clutching at the sides of the tub now to keep herself upright. Her hair lay drenched and glued to the sides of her face as she tried to regain her breath from her licentious acts and the sudden startle.

"Y-yes. I'm- I'm fine." She eventually answered.

"What happened?" Her mother pried, releasing the handle.

"You startled me and I slipped." Regina sighed, hoisting herself up from the bath water and stepped out onto the mat. She quickly retrieved a fluffy bath towel and dried herself off before wrapped it around her toga-style.

"You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, mother. I'm fine." The brunette quickly unlocked the bathroom door and opened it to be met with her mother's concerned face.

"You look like a raccoon." Cora mumbled.

Regina lowered her head and turned back into the bathroom, soon finding a place in front of the mirror to find that she had, in fact, resembled a raccoon. Her makeup was not exactly waterproof for it had smeared around her eyes in large, dark circles. She really needed to invest in some waterproof makeup.

Sighing, the brunette retrieved her brush and combed her dark, wet strands back, slick against her scalp before finding her makeup removal wipes.

"The towels are in the linen closet next to the guest bathroom."

"Thank you, dear." Cora smiled, though her eyes remained on her daughter. "Do you have hair products in there as well? I seemed to have forgot mine."

The brunette stopped and turned to her mother for a moment before spinning around towards the tub. She plucked the bottles of shampoo and conditioner from the shelf on the shower bit and handed them to Cora.

"You can use these. I do hope you like apples."

"All thanks to you." Cora smirked and tucked the bottles away as she turned to exit. "I will return these to you when I am finished."

"Just set them in my bathroom. I will be heading to bed as soon as I get changed." Regina followed her mother out of the bathroom, flicking the light off as she did. "On the counter works."

"In that case, goodnight, my darling Regina." Her voice was sickeningly sweet as she made her way out of Regina's bedroom, leaving the brunette to mutter a quick goodnight to her. She had surely changed her mood rather quickly, hadn't she? It might have been just another act to gain Regina's trust again, she was sure. Her mother was relentless.

No one had to tell Regina that twice, though, she thought as she dug out a fresh pair of undergarments and a pajama set to don. She had lived with her mother's manipulative ways all of her life and knew how she worked. One would think she would be immune to her mother's ways, but she had always somehow slipped back into that woman's grasp. Cora used affection on Regina, something that she often craved and yearned for from her mother. That, and an indication that she was  _proud_  of her daughter for accomplishing something that sparked her interest. That was how the older woman got her hooked and reeled her in.

It was a sick thing to do, toying with Regina's emotions like that. Her mother knew she had an advantage with her over those things and pushed every right button to turn her into putty. Unfortunately, as soon as she weakened Regina and broke her guard, she would turn on her with a vicious bite and ask something of her that the brunette wasn't willing to give. It would turn out as it had earlier that night with a physical assault or mental lacerations. Whatever it may be, Regina was normally left broken to pick up the pieces while her mother ran from the situation with her daughter's heart in hand.

Regina hated the past. She never much cared for bringing it up and normally tended to stay away from it in conversation. That's why she hadn't said much about her mother to Emma, who knew very little about her. But with her mother came the unwanted memories that Regina tried so desperately to shake. Once that woman left she would be able to breathe again.

And to get closer to the hour that her mother leaves, Regina needed to get through tonight and into tomorrow. She needed to sleep. She was exhausted, after all, and her body ached. And she felt rather sexually frustrated now that her mother had knocked her out of her masturbatory process. She hadn't gotten to finish, and there was no way in hell she would be able to now. She was quenched, though the damage from the burn was still left behind.

She only hoped this wouldn't make her night long, she fretted as she climbed under the covers and tucked herself in. Her bed felt so very comfortable and tempted her to fall asleep right then.

 _Erase all thought. Just focus on sleep_.

The brunette told herself, closing her eyes as she relaxed against the pillows, namely Emma's designated one. The sweet, apple scent filled her senses and she could already feel herself slipping into a state of tranquility. Tomorrow her mother would be gone and that meant she would be able to see her girlfriend.

Now if only sleep found her easy tonight…


	21. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's a late chapter and I do apologize for that! Life gets in the way, and it definitely slapped me in the face a few times.
> 
> But, here is a new chapter for y'all! I'd like to thank you for all of your lovely reviews from the previous chapter! I love hearing your feedback and would love to hear from you again about your thoughts on this next installment. Thank you for reading and please enjoy!

"Regina, darling, it's almost ten. Why are you still asleep?"

Cora's voice shook the brunette from her dreams and she jolted upright in her spot, staring at the intruder. Regina closed her eyes, her heart beating heavily in her chest and her breathing laboured. She was thankful to be awoken from that dream, from that  _nightmare_  that had haunted her, but it was her mother's face that nearly had the brunette teacher flying off the bed and hiding in the nearest closet.

Her mother's arrival seemed to have provoked the nightmares that she hadn't had in years. They were memories, images of her childhood flashing in frightening movies as they played in her mind almost on repeat. Every terrifying moment that she spent running from her mother or the panicked moments when she was under her mother's hand with pure, unadulterated fear coursing through her veins.

The last image she saw in her mind before she was ripped from her dream world was that of her mother, hovering over her with a malicious grin as her hands  _squeezed_  her slender throat, choking the life out of her to the brink of death.

And that was the picture she was left with when she opened her eyes and found her mother's sweet smile reflected down at her, the question hanging thick in the air.

"Mother!" She pushed herself away from the edge of the bed, pillow falling on the floor as the blanket pooled around her waist.

"Why are you still asleep? You should be up, darling. It's Christmas, after all." The older woman swiftly moved to the side of Regina's bed, a smile on her lips as she leaned in. "You should go see what Santa had left you under the tree."

"Mother, you know I don't believe in that man." Regina flipped the covers back and slid out of bed. "And you should definitely know since you had told me that he was nonsense and that your hard earned money went into the gifts for my selfish ass."

"Don't use such crass language, dear." Cora chastised, linking her arm with her daughter's as she led her out of the room and down the hall. Regina didn't protest and sighed.

All of the childhood fantastical icons were nothing to Regina. Cora had never told her of them, the brunette had to learn as a small child through school. When she had inquired her mother of who the Easter Bunny was, or the Tooth Fairy, or Santa Claus and why they gave children gifts on special occasions and why they never seemed to visit her, her mother had explained that they were nothing but childish fantasies that parents deployed to spoil their children. She had said that Regina didn't deserve to be spoiled as such and shouldn't believe in such nonsense for she would only be devastated to learn that they weren't real and it was the parents planting money under their pillows or marking gifts set under the tree at Christmas as Santa.

Regina hadn't necessarily been devastated over this fact nor did she care. She  _was_  rather curious why parents would lie to their children about fantasy people like this when they were the ones going through the work of giving their children wonderful holidays. Cora, of course, had fed some of these ideas into her mind as she went into further explanation. She had said that she didn't want to lie to Regina at all and that she was a good mother, unlike those other parents who  _lied_  to their kids.

Cora had warped Regina's mind enough to believe that and left it alone. Her mother was right after all. She was not to be questioned. But why was she  _now_  joking of Santa leaving her a gift under the tree? She knew that it was childish and often times refused to indulge in such things, even if it were to be a joke.

Whatever her reasoning, Regina didn't care. She wanted her mother out of her house before she ripped her own hair from her scalp. That woman was already destroying her life, picking brick by brick out of the foundation that she had built for herself. If she pulls out one brick too many, Regina's life will be in shambles. The brunette had to guard what pieces her mother removed, and that special brick that would no doubt force her to her knees; Emma.

There was no telling what would happen if her mother found out about her blonde lover, and that she was her student at that. Regina could lose her job. She wouldn't be able to find another in the teaching career and would be forced to fall back on her mother for support. Emma will have been gone long before and Regina would be alone again. She would have to depend on her mother as she had when she was younger and that was something that she did not want to have to go through again. That woman was manipulative, wicked, and would do anything to get into Regina's head and control her as a parasite would its host.

Cora would be able to have her firm passed onto Regina, then, since she would be incapable of getting a job elsewhere- or at least one that was worthwhile and not in a fastfood joint.

But of course, Regina was definitely getting ahead of herself. She need not panic, because panicking would only lead to further destruction and weakening of her walls, which would only increase the risk of her mother worming her way in. She couldn't allow that. She needed to get a firm grip on her life and push her mother away.

"Darling, did you not hear me?" Cora asked, her tone impatient and the look on her face told Regina this was not the first time she had asked that question.

The brunette shook her head, forming a guilty look on her visage, and replied. "No… I'm sorry."

"You really need to start paying attention. You will get nowhere in life if you do not listen, my dear daughter. You, of all people, should know that." The older woman bent down to retrieve a wrapped gift, a medium-sized box, from under the Christmas tree. It wasn't until Regina had noticed the green fir did she realize that they had made it to one of the rooms downstairs where she had set up the tree just weeks prior.

She didn't know why she had even put the thing up. She didn't celebrate Christmas, for she was alone every year and had no need to put up decorations. But it was Emma who had insisted that she utilize the tree in her attic and all the decorations in several marked boxes. The blonde had spent the next few days helping her set up the tree and decorate the house to make it more festive, and Regina had to admit, it made the large manor feel like an actual home. The Christmas lights twinkling from the doorways and the faint smell of spices just made it cozy and had reminded her of the times when she was younger.

Her mother was never one for the festivities, but she tried her best to make Regina happy on the holidays and give her some sense of family. Regina used to sit by the window at nights when it snowed, the perfect, white flakes sparkling in the air as they hit the immaculate blankets of fresh snow. She enjoyed the wintry scenery with a cup of hot cocoa and the scent of cloves in the air from the various candles lit up around her. Her mother sometimes had joined her by the window, a mug of cocoa of her own, and held young Regina in her arms as they both watched the peaceful winter wonderland through the window. That was one of the good memories that Regina had of her mother and of her childhood in all.

And being in her house with the familiar clove scents and cheery Christmas music had brought her back. She secretly enjoyed it, even though she acted indifferently around Emma. Some of the nights, when snow was on the forecast, she found herself sitting on the bench by her window in her bedroom with a mug of cocoa coffee, soft holiday music playing faintly from the radio.

Regina wondered if her mother remembered doing that with her. The good memories seemed few and far between and wondered if her mother remembered any of them like she did. Or if she thought them special as she had.

"Regina? Would you stop spacing off?!" Cora broke Regina from her happy thoughts, ripping her back to reality. The woman in front of her was not her mother. She was some monster that had torn the sweet woman that she barely knew into shreds. The mother that Regina wished she could remember was long gone. Cora hadn't acted in that way to Regina in  _years_. She only pretended to be the sweet and loving mother to get into the brunette's head and build her up, only to tear her back down in the end. This woman was nothing but pure manipulation.

"You are so  _useless_." She hissed, shoving the box that she held into her daughter's arms. "I don't even think you  _deserve_  that gift."

"Then why give it to me, mother?" Regina asked monotonously, a blank expression on her face. She glossed over the insult that her mother gave her, too used to hearing such words from those lips.

"Open the damned thing before I change my mind." Her mother grumbled. Eyes, like molten lava, burned into Regina as she tentatively unwrapped the gift.

When she had managed to open the box, wrapping paper littering the floor (which had earned a few disapproving grunts from her mother), she gasped. Inside was a relic from her childhood: a worn panda bear.

Call scene, placing that little, floppy black and white bear in her arms as she sat by the window the night of Christmas, a mug of cocoa in one hand, the bear in the other. Her mother would be sitting behind her, holding the little girl in her arms. That bear had been a gift from her mother just earlier that day, and one of the only gifts that Regina had really held onto throughout the years. She had it with her every Christmas, never getting replaced as her mother urged new stuffed toys on her.

The poor thing was old and worn, and Regina had thought she lost it long ago. She had assumed her mother had finally thrown it out and, after an hour or so of mourning the loss, she had come to terms that she was too old to be carrying it around anyways. She was about eighteen when that happened.

But, here it was, in this box. Tears stung Regina's eyes as she looked up at her mother who, for the first time in a very long time, wore a genuine smile on her lips.

She pulled the bear out, dropping the box on the floor as she murmured. "Mother, I thought you had thrown this out?"

"Unfortunately I had never got my hands on it before it disappeared on me." Cora sniffed, the smile soon leaving her face as she slipped on her stone mask. "I had planned on it, but I thought you already packed it up. It wasn't until I was sorting through the attic, months ago, that I came across a box full of random items. It was buried underneath a few candleholders."

"It's been so long since I had seen him." Regina looked at the worn bear, faded in color with a few tufts of its fur missing, and smiled. "Thank you, mother. Thank you for not just throwing it away."

"It's Christmas, Regina. I am not  _that_  heartless." A smirk curled on the older woman's lips, but Regina chose to ignore it. Her mother had done something good and not at all selfish. Or perhaps this was another ploy at trying to win her over onto her side.

Whatever her intentions, Regina was happy to have this memory back in her arms. She had long grown out of stuffed toys, but this little panda held a special place in her heart and she couldn't throw it out. She'd save it, perhaps pass it onto her children- or horde it for herself.

"I still appreciate that you had done this for me. That you gave me a piece of my childhood." Regina gazed longingly at the yellowed bear, then held it close in one arm as she gazed out the window at the bright, white blankets of snow.

"Do you remember when I was a little girl? You held me close by the window as we watched the new snowfall, drinking mugs of hot cocoa… I had the bear then."

"Oh, I know. You never let go of that damned thing after you received it." Cora seemed annoyed with the memory as Regina tried to bask in it, but the flame quickly died at her mother's comment.

"I loved it, mother. You gave it to me." She looked at the panda bear and frowned. Her mother had seemed genuine enough when she had given Regina the bear. The rest of her gifts were clothes and items that she didn't use, things that just sat up in her closet and collected dust because she was too young to understand them. But this bear… Her mother  _smiled_  when Regina opened it with a joyful squeal.

She should have known better.

It was probably just another ploy to get Regina on her side. She always gave the brunette things when she wanted something from her. That's how Regina ended up with this house. She wanted her daughter to have a husband, she was sure, and a family to fill it.

But that never happened and she was nothing but abusive in every way to her own daughter just because the life choice that she had made. Perhaps, in a different lifetime, Regina would want to change herself and be  _normal_  for her mother. But that was never going to happen, not in this lifetime, at least. Perhaps years ago, ten or more, she would have changed just to gain her mother's approval- her pride.

Though, why would she had to change herself just to please the woman that had never thought her enough? It was pointless. Cora was insatiable and no matter what Regina did, or how much she had tried, she couldn't  _satisfy_  her. And she was  _done_. She wanted to live her life the way that she wanted to live it without her mother being there, criticizing everything that she did.

"I gave you a lot of things and all I ever saw was you toss them aside, you ungrateful brat." Cora hissed, plucking that bear from Regina's hand. "I don't understand  _why_  you loved this  _rag_  so much! It's disgusting!" She enunciated her words, shaking the stuffed panda in front of her daughter's face.

"I… It brought good memories…" Regina murmured softly, her eyes closing. "We went to the zoo once and you showed me the panda bears. Remember how I was so fascinated with them? You let us stay there for longer than the other exhibits, and we went back."

"Is that what  _this_ was all about?" She tossed the bear onto the ground, just at Regina's feet. "For some  _panda_  exhibit twenty years ago?"

"It wasn't twenty years ago when you gave me that bear." Regina tilted her head slightly up, though quickly lowered it when her mother glowered at her. "I noticed that you bought it… but kept it hidden until Christmastime. It was a very special gift to me."

"Did I not make you happy aside from that trip, Regina?"

"Of course you did, Mother-"

But Cora didn't have it as she hissed. "I was a single mother. I had tried everything that I could to make sure that you were happy and satisfied and you always threw it back in my face. You never appreciated anything that I did for you, you selfish brat."

"I have  _always_ appreciated everything that you have done for me, mother. How can you say that?" Regina opted to defend herself, brows furrowing. She had always tried to show her mother how grateful she was for the things that she was given when she was a little girl, albeit, sometimes she might not have as much as her mother would have liked. That woman wanted to be treated as royalty, even by her own daughter, and wasn't shy to express it. Nor was she to bring her own flesh and blood to fault.

"You do  _not!_ " Cora drew a hand up and quickly grasped onto Regina's jaw, jerking her head forward. "You say you appreciate me? A daughter who appreciates her mother does not talk back."

"I'm sorry, mama…" Regina stood stock still, watching her mother through mocha orbs as she roughly released her daughter.

"You sicken me. If you think a pitiful apology will make me forgive you, then you are far more imprudent than I thought." Cora looked absolutely disgusted, eyes eating up her daughter's helpless visage. "I should have known better than to grace you with my presence. It wasn't well worth my time. I should have just stayed in New York and not have bothered. Who was I to believe you would be suitable to run my firm when I am gone?"

"I thought you had said I didn't-"

"Did I permit you to speak?" Cora hissed, the heated glare that she shot her daughter could have melted the flesh off her face.

When Regina had shaken her head, her mother continued. "And yes, I had said that. But I was fixing to change my mind and pass it onto you, anyways. Unfortunately, you had just burst your last chance to get your hands on the firm. And you know what, darling?"

Regina just stared at her mother, subtly shaking her head.

"You had just encouraged me to speak with your dear sister, Zelena about taking control. Because now, my love, you are no longer a child of mine." The older woman snarled and turned to make her way out of the sitting room. "Now, I have to catch a flight in Boston at five. I was willing to spend the few hours until my departure here with you until you had diminished your chances. Instead, I will spend then with the daughter that I  _should_  have kept."

And then she was leaving before the brunette could respond to her mother's words. Regina knew her mother was only saying those things to hurt her, she had heard them so many times in the past and Cora had always ended up coming back to her daughter with open arms as the brunette gladly accepted them around her.

The only difference this time was Zelena. And what her mother had opted to say about her had stung the English teacher's heart with a poisoned arrow. Was she really that replaceable?

Regina bent down to pick up the panda bear from the floor and transferred it to the box that it had been received in. She felt rather distasteful towards the stuffed toy now. Her mother had pulled the last straw and ruined one of the happier moments of her childhood. She couldn't look at that thing now without thinking of the lies that her mother had fed her in order to warp her mind enough to keep her happy.

She hated that woman, yet she couldn't help but to love her at the same time. She felt as if she were  _sick_  for loving her from all that she had done. Regina sighed, mentally kicking herself. How could she let her mother do this to her? How could she let her force Regina to feel ashamed for standing up to the older woman?

The brunette never seemed to get the chance to stand up to her mother and make it a proven point because each time that she had, Cora always seemed to ruin her courage with a simple statement that had her crumbling.

She wasn't even sure if Cora had ever listened to her. She always seemed too self-absorbed, as if she weren't even hearing what was coming from her daughter's mouth. That, or her mother didn't  _want_  to hear what she was saying because she knew it was the truth. She knew what she was doing was wrong and the things were being told to her were nothing but defense for the wounds that she was inflicting.

So she put on her mask and forced her daughter to quiet. But that never helped the matter, for it only fueled Regina's anger and her want to stand up to her mother even further. Her mother was a hard-head, surely, and couldn't give a flea's fart for her daughter's opinion.

Regina sighed softly and quietly made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She could hear her mother rifle around the guest room, more than likely packing her items up. Why she had ever pulled anything out, Regina wasn't sure, nor did she care. She only kept her feet moving towards the direction of her own bedroom, twisting in the hallways until she reached it.

There, she moved over to her bed and clambered onto it, hand sliding underneath the pillow that she had hid her phone under the night before. She had completely forgotten to message Emma back before going to bed, but as she looked down at her phone, she noticed that it didn't necessarily matter. The blonde hadn't said anything to her, and it was just before eleven. She was probably busy with her parents.

"I'm leaving, Regina." Cora stopped by the brunette's room, her head poking in to look at her daughter.

"Goodbye, Cora." Regina muttered coldly, not chancing a glance at the woman in the doorway. She heard her grunt before footsteps sounded, fading off as they traveled down the hallway. Moments later, they disappeared altogether with the sound of the front door closing behind them.

The brunette sighed. Her mother was gone.

But was she gone for good?

The brunette curled up in her bed, pulling the blankets over her body. She felt so small. She felt as if she had just lost a piece of herself when her mother had walked out that door. Had she finally angered Cora enough to drive her away from her life for good?

If that were true, that meant she wouldn't see her mother again. And her mother was dying. She would miss those last moments with her. Oh, gods, she didn't want to lose her mother like this, no matter how much she disliked that woman. But she had to give her mother space to let the steam off, she knew that, because she needed it as well.

"Oh, mother…" Regina curled up tighter and snatched up a pillow to hold in her arms. She would give her a few days before attempting to contact her again. And when she did, if Cora answered, she would apologize. It would be the only way to get her mother to come back in her life again. Even if she didn't have a fault in this.

But if Cora  _didn't_  answer, she knew that she would have lost her. And this time there would be no five years before she came back into her life again. Her mother will have been dead by then and that thought sent a shiver down her spine and an ache in her heart.

She really hoped her mother would answer her call.

Regina flipped onto her other side, bringing her phone close to her. She should tell Emma that her mother was gone. She had promised that she would, days back. Then, if the blonde wanted to come over today, if she could, then she would be able to. The brunette opened her messages and typed up a quick one to send to her lover.

_My mother left. You are free to come over whenever you wish now._

* * *

"Thanks for letting me do this." Emma smiled at Mary Margaret who had been gazing at her foster daughter with a tentative smile.

"You said it was important. Though, I thought you had already given your friends their gifts?" She sat the mug of cocoa down that she had been drinking and leaned across the kitchen table to grab the blonde's hands. "And it's Christmas. I cannot deny you a visit to your friends, at least."

"You don't  _have_  to let me go. It can wait." Emma reassured the pixie-haired brunette. She knew her foster mother as rather reluctant to let her go out on Christmas day, despite it being after their meal and the festivities that followed.

It was about five, now, the day still young. Emma had received a message from Regina earlier declaring that Cora had left. That had been about seven hours ago and the blonde had shot back a message confirming that she had seen it and would make it over when she could. Emma hadn't bothered to ask her parents to leave the house then. She knew that the day was important to them, starting with opening up gifts, basting a turkey that Mary Margaret had put in the oven, and decorating cookies as they waited for the big Christmas dinner to finish.

Normally, they ate rather early, about three or so in the afternoon. During the time that they waited- which would be from the start of them opening gifts at about nine- they would snack on meats and cheeses instead of feasting on an actual meal.

For the rest of the day after dinner, they usually just sat around and talked with one another as they watched Christmas specials on the television or listened to the holiday music on the radio.

That was more than likely the reason why Mary Margaret wasn't letting Emma go that afternoon. The day was virtually over. But, even though she had gained permission to go, Emma felt rather terrible about leaving her parents on the holiday that they seemed to take so seriously. It was important to them, and family time was something that they enjoyed.

So she had second thoughts about actually leaving. Visiting Regina could wait until tomorrow, certainly. She knew that the older woman didn't mind if she were to come then, since Emma had made it a point that Mary Margaret  _loved_  Christmas. And the English teacher hadn't wanted to break the family tradition.

It was sweet, really, how much she cared about their family values, or Mary Margaret's and David's per say. But her mother had given her permission to go, and even though she could just change her mind and stay, she wanted to see Regina. It had been a while and she didn't know if how the brunette was exactly fairing after her mother's visit. She might need some stability and it was Christmas, after all.

"No, why don't you go, honey." Mary Margaret flashed her a skeptic smile and gave her hands a squeeze. "Just don't stay out too late. Remember that we are going to go out to look at Christmas lights later tonight."

"When do you plan on doing that?" Emma asked. That was another thing that they did on Christmas Eve and Christmas night was go out to look at the light displays on people's front lawns. It was usually a peaceful time when they did that, driving around with nothing but a winter wonderland around them as holiday music flitted through the speakers of the car, bringing Emma back to a happier time. A time that she could nearly cry at, when given the correct atmosphere.

Christmas was usually never something she looked forward to when she was younger, most of the time. She had one or two foster homes that actually had celebrated the holiday and gave gifts to the foster children staying there. But most of the time, she had nothing. She would sit by the window and watch as the snow fell to the ground, not a single Christmas light around.

It was the music on the radio that had always brought her a sense of serenity, though, and gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. She remembered hearing it when she was with that very first family as a little girl. It was strange, she always countered herself for thinking back, that she could remember such sounds as a young toddler, but she had, and the tunes that filled her ears always brought her back. She felt  _happy_.

Listening to the holiday music made her feel oddly enough  _at home_.

And now she  _had_  a home, with Mary Margaret and David. They have given her a loving home and beautiful memories. The past Christmases that she had spent with the Nolans had been more than enough to last a lifetime. She was lucky to have tasted what family felt like and what those Christmas songs had been making her yearn for all of these years.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret's voice snapped Emma from her daze and she looked at the woman in front of her with a confused gaze.

"What did you say?" She asked sheepishly. She knew that her foster mother had said something, but she hadn't quite caught it.

"We are planning on going out at ten or eleven." The schoolteacher reiterated, quirking a brow at the blonde. "Just be sure that you're home before then."

"I will. I'll even set an alarm." Emma smiled and, to prove her point, pulled out her phone and quickly did just that. There was an alarm set for 9:30, giving her plenty of time to walk home from Regina's.

"Good," she smiled and released the blonde's other hand to cup her mug of cocoa. "Are you sure that you don't want me to drop you off? It's rather chilly outside."

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." Emma smiled and stood up, stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

"You sure?" David came into the kitchen from the bathroom, his brow quirking. "I heard there's supposed to be a blizzard. Do you want us to pick you up?"

"David's right, sweetie. And if we pick you up, we can just go straight from there."

"No, I'm fine, really." Emma sighed and grabbed her red leather jacket from the back of her chair. She had already donned her boots earlier when she had helped David clear out the walkway and the snow from around his truck. She bent to pick up the painting for Regina, that was not inside a large, black garbage bag as to not get ruined by the harsh elements.

"If you're sure…" he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders as the two of them watched the blonde head for the door.

"Yes. I am." And she definitely was. She didn't want the two of them to pick her up, even if she were to walk to Granny's or one of her friends' houses. There would be too many questions, more than she was willing to answer. She'd rather walk home. Or have Regina drop her off, if the brunette was willing.

"Walk safely…" Mary Margaret warned when Emma pulled open the door. "You really should be wearing more than that."

"I'm fine, Mary Margaret." Emma huffed and closed the door behind her. She quickly donned her gloves, a large, fluffy scarf and the floppy, black beanie that David had given her earlier that day. Then she set out, hopping down the stairs to the exit. It was definitely going to be a bitch walking, since it had been snowing all day, and the sidewalks were thick with fresh blankets of snow.

Taking a step outside, she brought her arms around her and shivered. The wind was ever relentless and forced flakes of snow to hit her face with great gusto.

"Oh, this is definitely going to be fun…" she mumbled, looking around the desolate area. Absolutely no one was out, and certainly sane enough not to be in this weather. The blizzard that David was talking about might just come if this wind didn't die down. And if it  _did_  come, that meant that they couldn't go look at Christmas lights. Added to that, she didn't know if she would be able to return home, even with Regina's help. The blizzards got rather nasty here in Storybrooke, leaving one lucky enough to even see their own hand if held in front of them.

It took Emma twenty minutes longer than usual to finally reach Regina's mansion, nestled in the little cul-de-sac between smaller, but still rather large, houses. She buried her nose in her scarf and pushed the gate open. Soon enough, she was on the brunette teacher's front porch, shaking snow off her boots all the while doing a little dance to keep herself warm from the frigid wind blowing harshly against her body.

Three knocks on the door later and Regina was pulling open the door, whisky eyes wide with surprise.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling the blonde into the warm foyer and closing the front door behind them. Regina quickly wrapped her arms around the blonde, trying her best to warm the teenager up.

"I wanted to visit you." She muttered weakly. "And give you your Christmas present."

"Oh, Emma, you didn't have to come today. It's terrible outside." The brunette tugged Emma's jacket off and lead her to the sitting room where the two of them had set up the Christmas tree earlier that month.

The blonde smiled upon seeing it. It was lit up, now, and stood tall with dazzling Christmas lights flashing a show of greens, reds, and whites. Underneath the tree lay a single box, wrapped in shiny, red paper with a green bow on top. The curve of her lips grew.

She was sat down on the cream colored couch with a fleece blanket immediately draped around her. Regina occupied the spot next to her, arms still trying to warm her up enough to keep her body from shaking. They sat quietly like that for some time as the blonde drank up the room. The two of them rarely ever went in this room, and the only time Emma ever really recollected coming in here before setting up the tree was briefly when Regina had showed her around the house.

It was a rather quaint little room and looked much like most of the others in the house. There was a fireplace and small knick-knacks scattered across the surfaces of the coffee table and a desk that appeared in the far corner.

Upon further inspection, she noticed that the fireplace was actually lit and crackled with a homey semblance. On the coffee table was a steaming mug, half full of what appeared to be coffee, and a small platter of cookies. After she had finally calmed her breath enough from its shuddering gasps, she could hear the faint melody of holiday music playing in the distance.

Regina must have been in here before Emma had knocked on the door. She wondered what the older woman was doing in here. Of course, it wasn't normally a crime to be spending time in a certain room of one's house. Emma never thought Regina went into this room, but perhaps she really didn't when the blonde wasn't here.

"Are you warm, Emma?" Regina's husky voice inquired, the arms that Emma had only noticed to be around her squeezed.

"Yeah, thanks…" she turned emerald eyes on the brunette's face and smiled sheepishly. "I know I probably should have waited, but I didn't really want to. I wanted to give you your gift on time. On Christmas."

"My gift? Now, Emma, you didn't have to get me anything…"

"I didn't." The blonde smiled and bent forward to grab the black bag from the floor. She handed it over to Regina. "I made you something."

"You made me something?" The look on the older woman's face could melt Emma's heart. She looked so  _astonished_  that Emma would do something like that for it. It reminded the blonde of the day she had given Regina that doodle with her name on it during one of their lunches. She had looked so surprised, and yet so grateful.

There was a twinkle in her eyes and a slow, melting smile on her crimson lips as she opened the bag up carefully, soon retrieving the frame from within. Then she gasped as she saw the painting, eyes shimmering. "Oh, Emma!"

"You like pandas, right?" The blonde nudged her tenderly, her tone light and playful.

"I-it's beautiful." Regina lifted her gaze, the painting still held out in front of her. "I love it. I love pandas. I…"

"So you like it?" Emma smiled. But she was taken by surprise when the brunette leaned forward and gave her lips a chaste kiss instead of an answer.

"I will be sure to hang this up above the fireplace in my bedroom so every time that I am in there, I am reminded of the great artiste who had made such a masterpiece."

"Oh, it's not  _that_  good, but thanks for the compliment." Emma gave her lover a cheeky grin. She felt rather content, now, being here with Regina.

Being with Mary Margaret and David, she  _was_  happy, but it didn't compensate for the lack of Regina. With her, she felt as if she were truly home, even though she had that with the Nolans. She felt lucky for that. When she was a kid, being tossed from house to house she didn't have a home, but now she had  _two_  and that was more than she could ever ask for.

"You will always be the number one artist in my book." Regina smiled, nuzzling close to the blonde. She carefully set the painting down on the floor, propping it up against the coffee table so they would have a full view of it- or she, Emma assumed.

The blonde grinned at her comment. That woman really was a sweetheart.

Regina hummed happily before suddenly pushing herself away from the blonde. Emma glanced up at her, eyes wide as the brunette made her way over to the Christmas tree. Emma didn't move from her spot, instead flipped around and watched as the teacher bent over.

The curve of her bum was outlined by the black slacks that she wore and gave Emma the need to roll her tongue back up into her mouth. She shouldn't be caught gawking, that was rude. Indeed, but that ass was just  _criminal_.

Though, the show was soon enough interrupted when Regina stood and spun around, that package from under the tree in her hands. She wore a soft smile and a devious twinkle in her eyes.

"I could feel you staring at my ass." She hummed, moving to join Emma on the couch once again. "I  _always_  know when someone is checking me out, dear."

"You… can?"

"Yes. Call it a superpower, if you must." The teasing smirk on her face was the only thing that set the blonde off of knowing that she wasn't serious.

"Uh huh…" Emma cocked her head back and stared at the brunette for a moment.

"Open you present." Regina plopped the box onto Emma's lap, an anxious smile curling onto her lips. She looked rather cocky. What was in this thing?

Emma picked up the box and tentatively began to open the paper, earning a few impatient clacks from Regina as she did so. Eventually she had the paper off and at her feet to only stare blankly at a box, brown and plain.

"Box?"

"That's all you get. A box." Regina nodded simply.

Emma gave her a wry look. "I'll cherish it forever."

"Open the damn box." The brunette groused and urged the blonde to peel the tape off the edges.

When all was said and done, Emma had the box opened to reveal the treasure that waited inside. Or, the item that had her jaw hitting her lap.

"You put a legitimate dick in a box?" She squawked, but the curve of her lips gave her away.

Inside she was  _screaming_. This would have probably been the best Christmas gift she had ever received, even if it were a gag one. Regina had a dirty sense of humor and she  _loved_ it.

"Not a dick." Regina sniffed and pulled the phallus out.

"It's a fake dick, it still counts." Emma eyed the dark purple object with interest. "Is it one of yours?"

"No." A smirk cured the brunette's lips into something sinister. "It's  _yours_."

"Mine?" Emma blinked at the object in her lover's hand, which had soon been given to her. She ran her fingers over the phallic thing, blatantly ignoring the snickers Regina gave.

"Yes. It's brand new. All I did was take it out of the package because I knew how you'd react." The brunette watched her, eyes darker than they had been before. Emma looked up, swallowing thickly.

"And here I thought you were going to give me something sweet."

"How about something spicy, instead?" Regina smirked and ducked forward to press a kiss to the blonde's cheek. "I have something special to go with that."

"What?" Emma found the word spilling out of her mouth before she could stop it and Regina giggled.

"You will just have to wait and see." The older woman withdrew from Emma's personal space and stood up once again, picking up the discarded wrapping paper as she did.

"Where are you going?" The blonde frowned and sat the phallus on the couch before popping up as well, following the brunette who hadn't answered her out of the sitting room.

Silently, the two of them trekked across the house until Emma had found that they had made their way to the kitchen. Regina stopped by the refrigerator and opened it, chocolate eyes sweeping over the contents inside. Emma came up behind her, wrapping her arms around the older woman's waist and rest her chin on her shoulder.

"What're you lookin' for?" She asked, green eyes focusing in on the various beverages and drink products inside. Then she spotted  _it_. A carton of eggnog sitting on the top shelf.

"This," the brunette replied, retrieving that very carton, her other arm snaking around the two that still attached themselves to her. She kicked the door closed and made her way to the cupboard with the glasses, Emma holding onto her for the ride.

"Yummy." The blonde licked her lips. "You do not understand my love for that stuff."

"And what might it be? This… love of yours?" Regina busied herself with pouring two generous glasses of the nog as she awaited an answer.

Emma hummed softly and kept a cheek pressed against Regina's shoulder as she held her, getting lost in the warmth and each breath that she took. It was relaxing.

"Let's just say that it's runner up to your forbidden fruit." The blonde winked and pressed a kiss to the brunette's neck.

"Oh?" Regina's voice was breathless and Emma could feel the way that her breathing altogether had quickened. The younger woman nodded against her shoulder.

"Yup! You are my favorite flavor. You even beat out eggnog. And I've loved that stuff since I was a child."

"Well, now do I feel ever important?" She chirped, turning around in the blonde's arms to wrap her own around Emma's neck. Regina's mouth lowered onto her lover's, giving the blonde a taste of her sweet, luscious lips.

Emma sighed softly against her mouth until they pulled away, though it was only for a heartbeat before the two of them had crashed against one another again. Their kisses like tidal waves.

Oh, how much had Emma missed Regina's lips on hers? They were so soft and inviting and tasted of sweet cocoa coffee.

It was unexpected to be kissed so suddenly, but that was the thrill in life that Emma had wanted. It was something she hadn't known until she spent enough time away from the brunette and it was frightening how much she had missed her.

Everywhere she went, she swore she could smell the faint, spicy scent of the teacher's perfume, or the whiff of apples when she walked by from the shampoo that she used. She found herself yearning for the brunette's touch and her warm, soft body holding her in remarkably strong arms.

And she was so glad now to be in them again. To taste Regina's sweet lips on her own in their fiery kiss that had left them so breathless, yet yearning for more. And so they had dove forward once again, lips colliding and meshing together in a passionate tango.

Regina nibbled on the blonde's lower lip, earning a soft whimper from Emma as she pressed her frame closer to her lover's, a hand sliding up into raven tendrils to tug and pull. The brunette moaned softly and slid her tongue against Emma's lips before thrusting it full into her mouth, invading it as she explored and tasted.

Emma hissed pleasurably, playfully wrestling her girlfriend's tongue out of her mouth and back into her own. A smirk grew on her face from her success, though it was short-lived when Regina battled for dominance, pushing Emma from her mouth.

"I want you." She husked, spinning the blonde around to slam against the counter. Emma winced when the action had caused one of the glasses to spill over and the soft  _drip drip drip_  sounded as it hit the floor.

" _Shit_ ," Regina moved her blonde girlfriend aside and quickly set the glass upright as Emma, herself, had quickly gathered up enough paper towels to stuff an elephant.

"Here, I got this…" Emma mumbled, wiping up what had spilled on the counter, then soon moved to clean up the small puddle on the floor. She watched on sadly as the eggnog was soaked into the paper towels. What a shame. She could have drank that.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" Regina shook her head and sighed, refilling the glass of nog that had spilled.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I mean, yeah, that could have been my belly instead of the floor… but…" The blonde teased and leaned up to kiss Regina's cheek.

"Emma!" The brunette swatted her arm in a reprimanding manner.

"I like eggnog." Emma mumbled, turning the older woman around with a gentle smile on her lips. She lightly trailed kissed up the older woman's jaw, then down to the neck of her turtleneck sweater, which had shifted after she had moved.

That's when she saw something that looked a little off to her, then frowned.

"You have something on your neck." Emma murmured, pulling away from her Regina. She either had contracted something from those few minutes, or it was something else entirely.

Her emerald eyes had landed on a discoloration that made its presence known on the older woman's olive flesh. She hadn't spotted it earlier, and the blonde had already concluded why that was. Regina had her hair down, covering most of her skin, and had donned a deep red, turtleneck sweater.

The neck of the sweater had shifted during their kiss, she assumed, or when she had cleaned up the eggnog, which had ultimately revealed the top of whatever the brunette had hidden there. It looked purplish in color and had a nasty hue to it. If Emma didn't know any better, she would have guessed it to be a bruise.

"What?" Regina quickly tugged the neck of her sweater up as if Emma hadn't said anything regarding the flesh underneath.

"You have something…" Emma cut her sentence off as she tugged the neck back down to peek at whatever was there. Perhaps it was a makeup malfunction, or so Emma had told herself, because deep down, she knew what it really was and feared that it just might be true.

And when she  _had_  tugged the fabric from Regina's neck, she gasped. The teacher only dropped her arms, her mocha gaze averted as emerald examined her bruised flesh.

She looked almost ashamed as Emma continued to take a closer look at the small, purple spots. They looked like fingerprints the more she stared at them, then the harsh reality struck her.

Regina was absolutely mortified and she had finger marks on her neck.

"Did your mother do this?" Emma whispered, a tentative hand raising to lightly grace her pale digits over the marks. The brunette winced, but didn't pull back. Nor did she answer, but that was enough for the blonde to understand.

Her mother had hurt her again, like she had vaguely complained of in the past. The blonde never got much detail from Regina over the matter, but what she had heard was pretty screwed up. Her mother was one hell of a bitch and she was certainly glad that she didn't have the privilege to meet the mother of the year.

The last Emma knew, was that Regina had said she hadn't heard from her mother in  _years_  until that day she had called and announced her visit.

That mean it had been years of abandonment, so to speak, even though Regina was an adult. She up and disappeared, leaving the brunette alone in this town until now, that was. Emma frowned at that thought.

"She will never stop." Regina finally spoke with a voice so cracked it squeezed Emma's heart. "I thought she was changing. She was so… loving. But I should have known better… I did, but I let her get into my head again and she hurt me."

"Gina…" Emma frowned even more this time and pulled her hands away, letting them fall to the hem of her sweater.

"I am  _ashamed_  that I let her do that to me.  _Again_. God, am I ever glad that she is gone." The brunette watched Emma, eyes slightly wide and panicked as the blonde lifted the red material. She almost stopped her ministration if not for the relaxed visage that crossed over Regina's features, trusting, with a tentative smile.

"How bad did she hurt you?" Emma whispered, sliding the sweater up and over Regina's head when the older woman lifted her arms. As far as she knew, Cora had at least choked Regina at some point, considering the marks on her neck. Whatever else she did was hidden, as far as she could tell.

Regina wore a plain, white T-shirt under that sweater and nothing else. Not even a brassiere, as Emma had soon learned when she saw the older woman's dark, hardened nipples press against the almost see-through material.

She bit her lip, trying to keep her body sated from excitement as she thought just what she might do with those sweat mounds. With a brief close of her eyes, she let her eyes roam over the rest of Regina.

That's when Emma had noticed the finger print bruises on Regina's wrists as the brunette had lowered her hands finally from the position they had been in. They weren't hard to miss, contrasting greatly from the brunette's otherwise flawless, tawny skin.

Emma scooped one of her hands up and examined the slender wrist that was colored as if it were more damaged than let on, but when she had skated her fingertips across the discolored skin, Regina didn't seem to have any noticeable reaction.

Emma could only imagine the horrors that went on in the house these past couple of days. What had Regina endured? What the hell had Cora done to her? Any  _why?_

"Don't worry about it." Regina mumbled softly. "I'm perfectly fine. She's gone and these are only… they will heal."

"She hurt you…" Emma lifted Regina's wrist to her mouth and kissed along the contours of her bones. For each mark, she feathered tender kisses, and for each kiss, Regina's breath shortened.

"I wish I was here to protect you."

"You wouldn't want to do that. She may be small, but she's strong. How do you think she was able to hold me down? Keep me down long enough to almost render me unconscious with her hand?" Regina shook her head, her eyes ice cold as she stared off into the distance as if in memory. But, soon enough, it was gone and she had brought herself back, lifting Emma's knuckles to her mouth to give them a few tender kisses.

"It's over. Don't worry about the past. Just focus on the present."

But Emma couldn't focus on the present. What Regina had just described seemed so very morbid. It sounded as if it had just come straight from a novel. Her mother had choked her to the brink of actually losing consciousness? What the hell was wrong with that woman for her to do something like that to her own daughter? It was terrible and it made Emma feel sick to her stomach.

She wanted nothing more than to protect Regina from any harm. She wanted to hold that woman in her arms, and as tightly as possible, so she would never have to let go. Emma could feel every emotion inside of her stirring, rising to the surface as they willed to be free. They were screaming.

She was so very  _angry_  at Cora for hurting Regina in that way. She was also so very  _heartbroken_  that something like that had happened to her girlfriend. And she felt  _guilty_  for not being her to prevent it from happening.

Regina had said that she wouldn't want to be here to face Cora, and Emma was sure she wouldn't be able to take that woman down herself. But she and Regina, they could do it together. They were strong enough together to do it.

But, alas, it was too late. Cora was gone. Regina was here, though, and so was she. Right now, she needed to focus on the present. The brunette teacher was correct. Don't dawdle on something you cannot change.

Though she still felt so very  _horrible_  for what happened and wanted to compensate for it somehow.

"And currently, you're hurt. Let me do something to help you." The blonde lifted her gaze to meet with chocolate, eyes shimmering with tears unknown. "And it's Christmas."

"That is correct and we must finish our eggnog… Or get a start on it before the night gets any older."

"I won't let it go that easily, Gina, but I will let it go for now." Emma slipped her hand into Regina's, the other snatching up the glasses of eggnog before they made their way back into the sitting room.

The two of them made their way over to the cream couch and sat, thigh squished against thigh as their connected hands sat on top of them.

IT was Regina to break their relaxed silence with a cough. "My mother gave me a gift."

"She did?" Emma blinked. Regina hadn't mentioned that earlier. But, then again, the only thing that she had heard about Cora from her was about how she had got the bruises.

"More like returning something to me, but…" Regina set her glass down and bent forward, not releasing her grip, as she rifled through a box on the floor. Moments later, she sat upright with a small, plush bear in her hand.

Upon obvious inspection, it was a worn-out panda bear and she would have passed it off for a dog toy if not for the loving way Regina looked at that rag.

She must cherish that damned thing to look so fondly at an old toy.

"This was the first gift my mother had given me that wasn't just another way to by my love, or I think so. She got it for me at the zoo when we visited it and I had just adored the pandas there. Later on that year, she gifted this to me for Christmas. That was also the year that she had sat with me by the window and watched as the snow fell while we drank hot cocoa together." Regina sighed softly and gazed longingly at the stuffed animal. "That was one of the most vivid memories I have of my mother without her chasing after me with a broom."

"Why didn't you already have it?" Emma asked, curling against the older woman's side when she and wrapped the arm that hadn't been holding the stuffed panda around her shoulders.

"I thought she had thrown it out ages ago. But, as it turns out, she hadn't." Regina set the panda plush back into the box, a look flickering across her face briefly as she had. Emma couldn't quite place what it had been and brushed it off for poor lighting. Whatever it was, she was sure there was no room for conversation. So, instead of inquiring her such, Emma changed the direction of the conversation altogether.

"It's a snowy day out, huh?"

The teacher chuckled, nodding her head in response. "Indeed it is. It's quite beautiful, is it not?"

"Yeah," Emma gazed out the window that she had noticed to be free of its usual blinds and curtains.

"Much like a certain somebody that I know." Regina's comment had the blonde's head craning, meeting up with eyes that reminded her of warm coffee; seeping into her veins and warming her soul.

Her cheeks tingled as they warmed with pleasant modesty, her pale fingers curling around the slender, olive wrist on her shoulder.

Regina's eyes immediately sharpened, pointed on the pale hand. Her tongue slid across her lips, wetting them before she spoke again.

"But not nearly as  _hot_."

"I'd hate to think snow would be hot. We'd be drowning in lava if that was true." Emma smirked when Regina regarded her oddly, but quickly recovered.

"Indeed," she purred, leaning forward until they were a breadth apart.

Emma's pulse quickened, her breath blowing in hot puffs against the older woman's skin. Green eyes searched brown.

"I have missed you." Regina whispered, a tender, tawny finger brushed against the golden-haired teen's porcelain cheek.

Emma's breath hitched from the sweet caress and her eyes fluttered as she tried to regain that breath. "I've missed you, too."

"it had been rather lonely lately in this big house." She continued, her finger soon multiplying to two as she continued her ministrations. "And quite frustrating."

"Frustrating?"

"Sexually."

Emma puffed out her lower lip. "Is that all that you have missed me for?"

Regina ceased her movements and quickly retracted her hand with a wounded look.

"No. Of course not… Your presence is what I yearn for, not your body."

"I was only teasing." The blonde retrieved the hand she had pulled away and pressed a kiss to the veiny surface.

"I do not want you just for…"

"Neither do I with you, but it is a part of nature to want it and act on it."

"I do know that." Regina's voice was breathless as Emma continued with her soft kisses, lips trailing down the back of the brunette's hand to the dark circles on her dainty wrist.

A soft sight of bliss slipped from her lips.

"Do you want to act on it?" Regina whispered, her lust-laced voice sending heat straight to Emma's core.

"I have to leave by nine-thirty." The blonde breathed, deep forest eyes lifting to meet the devious lilt of blood-red lips.

"Plenty of time." Regina pulled the blonde onto her lap, forcing Emma to straddle her. She captured the younger woman's lips in a searing kiss that tickled Emma in the most pleasant of ways. Her toes curled in pleasure as she marveled in the ferocious kiss, a soft groan slipping from her lips.

"I have missed you so much…" Regina's voice was nothing but pure sex as she hoisted the blonde further onto her lap, her hands cupping Emma's rump. "I haven't had an orgasm since the last time we made love…"

Oh, god, she was starting to talk dirty again. Regina always loved to do that, and for some reason, Emma just  _loved_  hearing it. She could feel heat pooling in her lower belly and her panties growing damper with each husky word that left that woman's mouth.

"I tried to get myself off." The older woman elaborated between hot, wet kisses to Emma's pale jaw. Her hands had already moved to make haste with removing the blonde's top, tossing the T-shirt aside to move to the black bra.

Emma bit her lip, head thrusting back when those enticing hands moved against her heated flesh, cupping her aching breasts, and giving them squeezes that had her squirming and begging for more. "Did you think of me?"

"Yes," Regina breathed, one hand sliding underneath the thin fabric of Emma's bra to cup the round globe of flesh. Emma moaned.

"What happened?" The blonde asked, her hips slowly rocked in time with each caress that Regina gave her breasts.  _Oh, god_ , she could just come with Regina's description, she was sure. The thought of her lying in bed touching herself had every cell in Emma's body humming with excitement.

She had waited as long as Regina for this. She hadn't had the time to really relieve herself of any midnight tingles, and being surrounded by her friends most of the time didn't help with the matter.

"I was bathing." Regina slid a hand down Emma's pale, flat tummy, causing her muscles to twitch anxiously underneath the olive hand. The brunette must have felt that, for the most delicious smirk spread across her lips.

The hand lowered.

And lowered until it reached the hem of Emma's jeans, but didn't stop there as it continued to fly further south and cupped the blonde's aching sex through her jeans.

" _Oh…_ " Emma hummed, grinding herself greedily against that hand. She needed to be touched and her throbbing center was not being helped by the thick material in the way. "More," she begged, hoping for at least some pressure to relieve her.

"Oh, but I haven't told you of my adventures…" Regina feigned a pout at her girlfriend's demand and kept her hand just where it was, not at all moving it even as Emma seemed to desperately grind herself against it.

"I can picture you in the shower… touching yourself…" Emma met Regina's eyes, locking in on them with a grin.

"I was in the tub." The brunette mended and added pressure to the aching flesh between her lover's legs. She pressed her fingers against the denim and rubbed,  _back and forth, back and forth._

Emma braced herself on the back of the couch, eyes squeezing as she moved hips in time with Regina's hand. "Oh, Gina…" she gasped, teeth clenched. "T-tell me about it."

"I dipped a hand into the hot, steaming bathwater to slip between my thighs." Regina growled into Emma's ear, leaning forward to nibble on the lobe as her thumb teased the tight nipple that prodded her hand. Emma hissed in pleasure, head bowing as she continued to move with Regina's pace.

The blonde bit her lip, fingers digging into the fabric of the couch. "What else? Where did you touch yourself?"

"As I thought of you,  _mi amor_ , as I pleased my throbbing clitoris." Regina's hand soon stopped its ministrations between the blonde's thighs and before she could protest, olive fingers slid to the waistband of her jeans. Then they disappeared underneath it and Emma gasped.

Regina's fingers had pressed against her sweet, aching flesh as they wormed their way down, slipping further towards the wet folds that awaited her. The blonde's breath hitched when those slender fingers found the center of her excitement. Her hips bucked forward against the hand and her head thrust back as a soft moan left her lips.

"Oh, Gina, yes…" she groaned, rocking her hips against the fingers that drew tight circles around her clit.

"I did just this," Regina continued, eyes dark, almost black, when Emma had made contact with them.

"And then what?" Emma shuddered pleasantly when the brunette slid two digits along the slick flesh, delving between the lips to bury deep inside of her.

" _Gina!_ " The blonde gasped and ground herself down into those fingers, her bottom pressing firmly against Regina's knees.

"And then I did that, with my other hand." Regina purred, plump lips trailing sensually down the blonde's exposed throat. "I had my legs on either side of the tub."

"Oh, hot…" She whimpered when Regina's hot mouth had found her breast, the hand that had been there previously now had pushed the fabric completely aside to expose her naked flesh.

Emma felt as if she were already about to just  _explode_. She could feel her peak riding up on her and fast, for she had sped up her wanton movements, arching against the brunette's mouth when she chose that moment to tease her erect nipple between her teeth.

One of the lighter woman's hands found the back of Regina's head as she pressed her breast further against her, moaning and squirming when the brunette hadn't relented with the delicious nibbles and sucks.

"Sh-shit, Gina!" Emma cried, pressing herself against the vigorously pumping fingers. She almost couldn't take it.

"Nuh-uh-uh…" Regina pulled away from her breast, now red from her attention, and licked her lips. "My story isn't over."

The blonde scrunched her face. She was close.  _Just a little more…_  "Hng, please! Tell me!"

"And just as I was about to orgasm," she continued, a seductive look on her face. The digits buried within her girlfriend had withdrawn themselves to torture the swollen nub. Emma braced herself, her body tensing as she felt her release coming, her hips frantic in their fruitless attempt to find release.

"My mother knocked." And with those three words, Emma had come undone, hot and hard against her lover's hand. Her entire body tensed and shuddered after waves of pleasure washed over her, leaving her to smile at the sweet feeling of release.

Regina smiled as well, pulling her hand from the blonde's jeans as she came down from her high. Those digits were soon popped into the brunette's mouth as she sucked her girlfriend's juices from them, all the while watching said girlfriend stare at her with sated, green eyes.

A soft pink tinted Emma's lips as she watched Regina clean up the aftermath of her orgasm. She always loved to do that, looking like the cat that had caught the canary. Damn woman.

The blonde heaved a content sigh, slumping against Regina who had wrapped her arms tightly around her small frame, her chest rising and falling at a more-than-steady pace.

"Wait…" Emma popped her head up and looked at Regina. "You said your… mother knocked? Right in the middle of…?"

"Yes," the brunette simply nodded, a pleased look on her face. "Unfortunately, I never found my release after she had gotten her damned towel. She is a major lady-boner killer."

"Lady-boner?" Emma bubbled with laughter, her head resting back onto her lover's shoulder. It was rather hilarious hearing Regina use such slang that she was used to hearing her classmates blurt out.

"Yes." Regina nodded again.

"Well, aren't you cool?"

"I wouldn't be talking, Emma." She quirked a brow at the blonde. "I just gave you an orgasm."

"Very true…" Emma huffed and pressed a kiss against Regina's bruised neck. "And now it's my turn to give you your well-deserved, no-motherly-interruption orgasm."

Regina quirked a brow at her, but Emma didn't pay any mind as she continued to press soft kisses against the fingerprints on her olive flesh.

"My poor Gina…" she whispered, laving her tongue up her throat, smirking when she felt the older woman shudder with pleasure underneath her. "I will take care of you."

"Oh, you definitely will…" Regina purred, closing her eyes as she basked in the sweet kisses that Emma gave her neck. The blonde shifted in her lap, using her tongue to lick at the bruises as a dog would wounds. It was in her own efforts to pretend that they were nothing but dirt smudges and she was removing them with her tongue, though when they remained, she only seemed to try harder.

It wasn't until she felt a set of hands grab her hips did she stop to look up. Regina had pulled away, one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows quirked in her question.

"Are you just going to tend to my neck all day, darling? There are far more… tender areas for you to explore…" She smirked, eyes dropping momentarily to the place that Emma had covered as she continued to sit on her lap.

"Demanding." Emma tsked and carried on with the tender kisses on Regina's neck, though it was that time she noticed the small wince that the older woman had given. With a frown, she decided to change direction and let her lips drop down to the brunette's breastbone, covered by the white cotton of her shirt. She pursued south, anyways, moving towards one of those breasts that remained so perky and alert.

Smirking to herself, she dropped a kiss to the swell of flesh through the fabric before wrapping her lips around one of those taunting nipples, flush with arousal.

"Emma…" The name rolled off Regina's tongue breathlessly, both her hands curling into golden locks of hair as the blonde suckled her through the cotton. The brunette arched against Emma's mouth, the sultry moans growing louder the damper her shirt had become.

Then, suddenly, Emma pushed the T-shirt up- having enough of that damned boob-block- and reattached her mouth, suckling voraciously at the swollen breast that seemed so ready to greet her. A hand pressed itself against Regina's back to steady her against her mouth.

Regina hummed, words dying in her throat. Her back arched almost criminally forward, thrusting her tender breasts against her lover's face as each had been pleasure the same, being nipped, sucked, and teased.

" _Em…Emma…_ " Regina choked, tugging rather hard at the blonde's hair, forcing her head away from her breasts. "Please… I-I need you."

The blonde nodded and pressed a single kiss to her lover's stomach before fumbling with the older woman's slacks. Regina lifted her hips, allowing Emma to push the nuisances down and completely off. She tossed them next to her shirt before climbing down off Regina's lap completely to find solace on the floor.

She grabbed Regina's knees and pushed them apart, a satisfied smirk on her face as the older woman gasped. Emma waddled between her legs and looked up at the brunette.

Regina watched her with lust-filled eyes, her chest heaving and her shirt still pulled up above her breasts. Emma locked eyes with her for a moment, smiling when she did before guiding her attention back down to gaze at the black, satin fabric that hid her lover's forbidden area.

The blonde ducked her head down to press a kiss to the outside of Regina's soft, sun-kissed thigh. A sigh of bliss left the brunette's lips as she had done this, and when she did it again, this time on the inner part of her thigh, it had earned her a sharper gasp. Emma continued teasing Regina, kissing the insides of both her thighs, slowly making her way to the center of her arousal. She could already smell Regina thick around her, which had shot heat straight to her core once again.

Moaning to herself, she trailed her tongue the rest of the way of Regina's innermost thigh to the damp cloth that covered the part she had been desired to please. Emma locked gazes with Regina as she slowly bent forward to press her lips firmly to the center of the black panties. Regina gasped sharply, her body tensing.

" _Please…_ " The brunette teacher pleaded, her nails digging into her own thighs as she watched the blonde smirk at her.

Then Emma dove forward once again, though not in the direction of her center, but to one of her hips. She grabbed the side of the panties with her teeth and drug it down, trying to act inconspicuous as she used two finger to pry the other side down as well. Regina didn't seem to notice as she kept her heated, coffee eyes on Emma.

"I could just  _come_  right now with you doing that…" Regina husked, which had Emma stopping always down her thigh. She smirked around the panties and pursued pulling them down until they fell around the brunette's ankles on their own. Regina took the liberty to kick them off as

Emma moved back between her legs once again, inhaling deeply the scent of her aroused lover. "You smell so sweet."

"I taste sweet, too…" Regina teased, the sparkle in her eye could drive Emma mad.

The blonde lifted each other the brunette's perfect, olive legs onto her shoulders and dove forward, burying her face between Regina's thighs with great bravado. Her hands had found purchase on the brunette's lower back as she pressed the teacher's lower half against her face, her tongue sliding slowly against the secret lips to get a starting taste.

She already knew what Regina had tasted like, for she had always yearned to have nothing but the delicious flavor of the older woman on her tongue constantly. She was sweet and bitter, just like apples, and even had a hint of the fruit mixed in as well.

Emma closed her eyes, enjoying everything that invaded her senses as Regina. She could feel the older woman already move her hips against her face, moaning her name into the air. A smile seemed to curve her lips at the sound. She always loved the noises that Regina made when she had pleased her.

The blonde hummed, pressing her nose against Regina's clit as she extended her tongue to tease the older woman's entrance. She could hear the brunette whimper above her, pleading for more. And so Emma abided, pushing her tongue between the soaked folds, groaning in time with Regina's as her absolute flavor exploded on the young woman's taste buds.

" _Fuck, Emma. More!_ " She could hear Regina chant above her, sharp cries echoing in the room as the blonde tried so hard to abide her request, her tongue darting in and out of her entrance before changing position to flick aggressively at her swollen clit.

Regina's hips jerked forward when she had done that, another sharp cry ripping from her throat. Her fingers had find themselves tangled in Emma's sunny curls, tugging every so often, though she could feel the pressure that Regina exerted to keep her where she was. It was all very exciting for Emma, herself, and she could already feel her own arousal roar to life once again. The ache between her thighs encouraged her to relieve the one between her lover's as she teased the pink pearl between her teeth, tugging and sucks at it with great vigor.

"E-Emma!" Regina's final cry sounded as her body shook with spasms, her hips jerking oddly as Emma helped her ride out the orgasm, swirling her tongue around the nub until the brunette had finally gone limp; her breathing hard and uneven.

The blonde smirked and lapped up the remains of the brunette's release, nipping at the tender folds ever so often before pulling away, licking her lips. Regina gazed at her with flushed cheeks and satisfied eyes, the lust had died incredibly, but she could see that it was still there.

Emma slid her hands up the brunette's tawny thighs, the only noise in the room now was the faint Christmas music playing faintly in the background. Emma could laugh.

"Merry Christmas, Gina," she purred, climbing back onto the couch next to her brunette lover. Regina immediately lean against her, arms wrapped snuggling around her body.

"Merry Christmas, Emma." She smiled in return, pressing a kiss to the side of Emma's head.

* * *

"We completely forgot about the eggnog." Emma muttered, her head resting against Regina's breast as the two of them lay on the couch. She was semi on top of her, a sated smile on her lips. She was completely and utterly spent. And somehow, she had lost her clothes somewhere between round one and round…

_What round was that last one again?_

The two of them had gone for a second round shortly after the first, this time it was Emma's idea to use her new Christmas gift on Regina. She took her on the couch, their sweaty bodies in a mass of tangles as she pumped the toy into her lover's body. She was sure they were loud enough for the neighbors to hear, or at least, she. Regina seemed rather quiet for the most part, with the exceptional cry or moan here and there.

Though, when Emma had been able to bring her to climax with her new gift, the woman was nothing close to quiet. Whatever method she had used was absolutely perfect and the brunette had said she had never felt so  _relaxed_  before.

It was crazy, Emma concluded, and Regina decided to use the phallus on her. And she had to agree with the brunette teacher on that.

That's why she wore such a large goddamn smile now, probably looking naught but goofy with it spread so widely across her face. They had tested that thing out several times and had lost track of time between each round as they occasional had a snack of cheese and meat.

But the eggnog that Emma had pointed out had been completely neglected and she felt  _awful_.

"Indeed we have." Regina chuckled, her sweat-slick skin moving easily against the blonde's as it had rumbled with laughter. "Perhaps we should try to drink it now?"

"Yeah…" Emma concurred, reaching from her spot to the glass that was designated hers. Unfortunately, she was unable to reach and was left hanging. "Oh, well…"

Regina chuckled again, this time sitting up as she did so. Emma let out a protest, every muscle in her body protesting when the brunette had set her aside to grab both glasses. She handed Emma one, keeping the other for herself as she moved into a more comfortable position, propped up against the arm of the couch. Emma had found her way nestled between the older woman's legs, a content smile on her lips as she leaned back into the warm body.

"I love eggnog." She mewled, taking a sip of the thick beverage. A happy sigh sang a chorus in her body as she took that swallow. She had been waiting all day for this.

"I do, as well." Regina nodded, her fingers combing through Emma's mussed hair as she, too, drank from her glass. "Really wonderful stuff."

"Yup." Emma giggled and relaxed further back into Regina. She sighed contentedly again, her eyes closing as the holiday music filled her ears. "I like this."

"I do, too. It's nice, lying here with you." The brunette's hoarse voice spoke, a hand sliding down Emma's side. The blonde giggled and squirmed away from the hand.

"Don't. I'm too tired." She whined playfully. "You completely wore me out."

"That's what I do, honey." Regina laughed, melodic and sweet.

"How long had we been going at it?" Emma asked, craning her neck to look at her girlfriend. The brunette shrugged.

"I lost track of time."

Suddenly a soft beep had sounded from somewhere in the pile of clothes on the floor. Emma sat up abruptly, accidentally knocking into Regina's glass of eggnog, which had ultimately spilled some onto her as it swashed over the sides.

"Sorry!" Emma quickly sat her glass down and rifled through the clothes until she found her jeans, then pulled out her phone that had been the source of noise.

"What is that, darling?" Regina asked from the couch, using a finger to dap up what had spilt on her.

"My alarm. It's nine-thirty." Emma muttered solemnly, replacing her phone and standing up. She searched through the clothes once again and found her panties to slip on. "I have to go."

"Where exactly are you going again?" The brunette sat up in her spot, the glass of eggnog finding its way on the table.

"I'm supposed to go out with Mary Margaret and David to look at Christmas lights. It's a traditional thing. I don't know. But I promised them I'd go." Emma hastily found and donned the rest of her clothes, as well as her boots and red leather jacket. "So I gotta go now if I want to make it home by ten. Or at least ten twenty, 'cause it took me that long to get here."

"Why don't you let me drive you? It's freezing out, dear." Regina stood from the couch and picked up her discarded panties. She, too, slipped them on and found the rest of her clothes. "I don't want you freezing your perfect little tush off out there."

"Thanks…" Emma sighed softly and grabbed her eggnog as she waited for her girlfriend to finish dressing. That at least gave her enough time to finish her eggnog, then, if Regina was going to drive her. Though, they'd still probably have to leave rather soon since she was sure that the streets were still covered in snow.

"Anything for you, Emma." Regina walked over to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll go grab a pair of boots and then I'll be down, alright? You can start the Benz if you want. My keys are in the foyer."

"Alright." The blonde watched as the older woman skipped off to do as she had said. Emma sat for a moment, finishing up her eggnog before standing. She gathered her gift with a blush, unsure of what she should really do with it. If she brought it home, would her parents ask what was in the box? She could always stick it in her pocket… If it would fit, but that was highly unlikely.

Oh, great. She had a dildo and she didn't know what the hell to do with the damned thing. Why the hell did Regina have to get her  _that?_

Sighing with defeat, she stuck it back in the box and headed out of the room to the foyer. She searched around a great deal, not exactly knowing where the hell Regina meant she put her keys. Normally she kept them in her purse, only sometimes did she have them out here, but Emma never paid enough attention to know where she stuck the damned things.

It took Emma five whole minutes until she finally found them hanging on a little hook by the door. Who the hell saw that?

"I've always had it there, dear." Regina's voice startled her and she turned around to be met with an amused smile.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you aren't as educated on my house as you thought." The brunette gave her a wry smile before heading towards the door. Emma followed suit and trailed her like a puppy as she made her way into the snowy hell called winter.

The blonde grumbled under her breath at the amount of snow on the ground. At least it had stopped snowing, which was lucky for the Nolans' Christmas Light Watch. Part of her had wished that the blizzard had kept its promise to intensify, because right now she would still be inside that house with Regina.

Nice and warm.

Emma shivered as a sharp gust of cold wind blew her towards the Benz where Regina was already inside, starting it up before she popped back out with an ice scraper/snow brush combo.

"I hate winter." Emma muttered as she stood next to her girlfriend, who was trying as fast as she could to clear the snow off with chattering teeth.

"I concur, dear."

"It sucks." The blonde used her gloved hands to help Regina out by dusting snow off the windows, which, unfortunately, wasn't all there was. Like any other goddamn time, there was a thin sheet of ice covering the window. "Damn."

"Tell me about it." Regina chattered, scraping vigorously at the ice on the windshield. "Why don't you get in?"

"If one of us is gonna suffer, why not both?" The blonde shrugged. She didn't really care. Sure, it was freezing as hell, but at least she was freezing with Regina.

"Suit yourself." Though the smile on Regina's face was enough to tell Emma how much she really appreciated that.

It took them only a few minutes before Regina had declared it clear enough to see out retreated to the car. Emma got in as well, groaning happily at the warmth. One good thing about standing out there was the warm car that you would be welcomed to.

"Heaters are a beautiful thing." Regina hummed and shifted the car into gear. She began to back up, only to get halfway to the street before they got stuck. And then she sighed in defeat, her head lowering. "I completely forgot about shoveling the driveway."

"Let me do that." Emma quickly got out and found the snow shovel propped against the front porch. Five minutes later, she cleared what she thought was sufficient and got back into the car, shivering.

"It's so  _cold_." She complained, rocking back and forth to get warmth into her body. Regina gazed at her sympathetically before leaning toward her to give her cheek a quick peck.

"Thank you, though." The brunette shot her a grateful grin.

"You're welcome." The blonde returned the smile, her entire body seeming to melt when she saw the way Regina's own had beamed.

"Now, it's time to get on the road and hopefully not get stuck." Regina pulled onto the road and began to drive down the desolate street.

"Isn't it always a wonder how  _bright_  it is with all this snow, even though it's night?" Emma cocked her head towards Regina. "That's one of the only things I like about snow."

"It is amazing, isn't it?" The brunette sighed softly, an absentminded smile on her lips as she gazed at the street ahead.

"Yeah," Emma nodded and looked outside as well as they drove the snowy streets of Storybrooke. She had been so lost in the snowy banks, she hadn't noticed that they had arrived to her loft. It felt like it had only been a minute, and she wished it would have been longer.

"Ah, well." She looked at Regina, her entire body turning. "I guess this is my stop."

"I will talk to you later?" Regina tilted her head slightly, a warm smile on her lips.

Emma nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright." The brunette leaned forward and captured Emma's lips with her own in a soft, tender kiss. The two pulled away moments later, and she paused. "Emma?"

"Yes?"

"I have… a sort of random question."

"Shoot." The smile on Emma's face never faltered, though the conflicted look on Regina's face was concerning.

"Have you ever thought about telling your foster parents that you are gay?"

"I… what?" The blonde blinked. That certainly  _was_  a random question.

"Have you ever thought about-"

"I heard you." Emma leaned back against the car seat and shrugged. She didn't know. She always felt like telling them, but she was normally too afraid to. Besides, she wasn't sure how to approach the subject. Nor was she sure how the two of them would handle the situation.

"I'm not sure how to, and I don't know how they'll react." Emma answered honestly. Though, that complication up in Boston that she had told her parents about was something that had gave her hope. Maybe they wouldn't react terribly since they didn't seem to mind  _that?_

"Why are you asking me?"

"I was just curious. I was thinking about my mother and…" Regina shook her head, trailing off. "

"I was thinking about doing it." Emma whispered, looking out at the wintry scene. "I'm just not sure how to approach the subject."

"Sit them down and tell them. I'd find that to be the most blatant way, and perhaps easiest."

"I don't know…" Emma sighed. "I know I don't really want them to find out when I marry a chick…" She looked up at Regina with a smile, as if that 'chick' was referring to her.

"Better sooner rather than later. That way they learn to accept it, if they don't, by the time comes." Regina reassured, setting a hand on top of Emma's. "You don't have to."

"I know." The blonde nodded and flipped her hand over to lace her fingers with Regina's, though awkwardly with their gloved hands. "I'll do it."

"You will?" She asked curiously, squeezing Emma's hand.

"Yeah. Maybe not tonight… Maybe on New Year's Eve? At midnight. A new year, a fresh start." Emma turned her attention to the loft and looked up to her floor, noticing a shadowy figure by the window. Of course, Mary Margaret was here to break their conversation short again. Oh, well, it was ten anyways and she was expected back.

"I should go." Emma quickly muttered before Regina had the chance to reply. She gave her brunette lover's hand a squeeze before removing her hand from the grip. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, maybe I'll come over."

"I'd like that." Regina smiled, her eyes floating to the box on Emma's lap. She snorted with laughter. "Are you really going to bring that into your house?"

"What else did you want me to do with it?" The blonde muttered, looking at the box. "You gave it to me. It's mine."

"Alright." Though the amusement on Regina's face did not falter. "Have a good night, darling. And have fun looking at lights."

"I will." Emma beamed and leaned over to give Regina a chaste kiss on the lips. "And you have a good night, too."

The brunette nodded as Emma then opened the door and stepped out of the car. She stretched and sighed blissfully, closing it behind her. She quickly made her way up to the loft, dick-in-a-box in hand.

"Did you have fun?" Mary Margaret asked, immediately greeting Emma in the doorway to the apartment.

"Y-yeah…" Emma regarded her oddly, brows furrowed as she made her way past her foster mother.

"Did your friend enjoy the gift?"

"Mhm." The blonde nodded and hastily made her way upstairs to dump the box on her bed. She really needn't any questions about it, because how the hell was she going to explain what it was?

"What was in the box?"

Emma nearly sunk to the floor in disbelief at her foster father's question.

"Nothing," she muttered, heading towards the door. The two of them seemed to already have donned their winter gear. They must have just been waiting for her.

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, it was a gag gift." Emma found herself saying, stopping by the door as her parents stayed where they were, staring at her. "It was just an empty box. They had me bring it home anyways."

"They do that?" Mary Margaret turned towards her husband who nodded.

"You wouldn't imagine the amount of complaints I get down at the station." He shook his head.

"Can we go?" Emma muttered, opening the door. She really wasn't fond of going outside again, but the faster they left, the quicker that they would be home and she could go to bed.

She was absolutely exhausted, thanks to Regina. She smiled to herself at that thought. She enjoyed her night with the woman and had to admit that this was one of the best Christmases that she had ever had.

"Of course!" Mary Margaret cheerfully agreed, finally making her way to the door, followed by her husband.

"Did you have fun with your friend?" David asked as they stopped so he could lock the loft. It was the same question that his wife had asked only moments ago. He either wasn't paying attention or hadn't heard, but Emma decided to answer it anyways, and truthfully.

"Yeah, I had tons of fun. But I'm exhausted."


	22. A Fresh Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Woo, I got 'er done! I know, *finally*. But it's quite a long chapter this time, I hope that makes up for it. I have been absolutely scattered these past few weeks. It's nearing the end of the school year and I have tests up the wazoo. (And I can also blame RP and lack of sleep to my lack of inspiration to write). I have most of this all planned out to the end, so hopefully I'll be getting these things up more quickly than I had been! Next week I'll probably have quite a bit of free time, so!
> 
> On that note, here is a fresh chapter for you! And after that season finale, I'm quite sure you all need it. (I think I lucked out, having missed a great portion of it due to horrible internet streaming).
> 
> Anywhoodles, I would like to thank you for all of your wonderful reviews from last chapter! :D They really do make my day, hell, my entire week. So, thank you so very much, I greatly appreciate the feedback and I do encourage that you leave me some for this chapter and the direction that I'm taking this.

 

**NEW YORK, NEW YORK** **: CHRISTMAS NIGHT**

Cora Mills arrived to her apartment at the top floor of a lavish building in downtown New York. It had been late in the evening by the time that she had finally landed on Christmas night. She had just returned from visiting her daughter in that small, godawful town that she resided in.

But it was that godawful town that was supposed to change her ways, or so the lawyer had thought. It had worked for the most part until Zelena had mentioned a possible female lover that had her going haywire. It may not have been the first time that she had caught wind that her daughter had been seeing women, but it was the first in a long while. She had spies scattered throughout the small town of Storybrooke and they were her faithful eyes, or she had hoped that they would be or they would no longer be watching anything.

Though, upon hearing this news of a new lover that had come into Regina's life, she had wanted so desperately to get to the bottom of it. She wanted to get the truth out of the brunette teacher, but that woman seemed too adamant. She wouldn't spill whatsoever and that had only irked Cora.

Of course, that was  _after_  she had mentioned her planned trip to visit Regina. She firstly had no intention of digging around in her daughter's life, not having a single worry about her ways.

Perhaps that was a little lie. The older brunette had a few tricks up her sleeve, and those tricks were the reason entirely why she had ever thought about visiting her daughter. She had hopes to cure her and to eliminate any problem that might prevent the conversion she had planned for these five years that she was gone.

Oh, how she had been unamused by her daughter's revelation all those years back- or more so her  _exposure_ \- when she had first found out her daughter was a lesbian. It was a heart-wrenching time. Regina was her only daughter, or so she had only wanted to claim her as her only daughter since Zelena had been long out of her life by then. And being her only daughter, the younger brunette had to be the one to bear her heirs for her firm to keep it running.

But that dream was cut short when she found her eighteen-year-old daughter in bed with a woman.

That could have given her a heart attack, goddammit. She had been so stressed out, she had nearly had one that day after screaming at her daughter to get the hell out of her house with her sick and twisted ways. Regina had absolutely no respect for her and had discovered as much upon their departure. Her little girl was rather defiant and had dared stand up to her.

She would surely pay, and it was at a high price that she would not like but Cora would thoroughly enjoy.

Regina would, one way or another, learn to  _never_  disobey her mother.

But that wasn't exactly on Cora's mind for vengeance as of current. Her mindset was more on her original plan to expose whatever her daughter was hiding from her and deal with it once and for all. Whoever this blonde girl that she was hiding from her… Cora would find out her identity soon enough. If Zelena's assumptions were correct, and the brunette teacher was lying to her, Regina was something of what Cora had feared the most. That woman must be desperate, alright, if she had to now chase after the very kids that she had taught.

Her eldest daughter had described the girl that seemed to have brought out Regina's possessive side as a teenager, no older than seventeen or eighteen years of age. A petite blonde with the face of a child and the sparkle of youth in her eyes. Regina wore an expression that of a lover, protecting their significant other from harm as she would. The way that the blonde had reacted was a thing in itself. A student would never  _touch_ their teacher in such a way.

"And why the hell would she have a  _student_  at her house? Why not the school?" Cora thought aloud, dropping her purse on her bed.

It was true. If Regina were to tutor a young pupil, wouldn't she be doing it inside the school instead of on her own time in her own home? That was a little private, wasn't it? That girl had no business being there unless something else was going on. Something that wasn't exactly the teacher-student relationship that it should be.

"What was that?" A familiar voice rang through the otherwise desolate apartment. Cora gasped at the voice, jumping slightly in her spot. She hadn't expected anyone to be here. Or at least so soon.

Cora moved swiftly through the loft towards the source, which had been lounging on her creamy leather couch, sitting in front of a lit fire. She clucked, eyes narrowed on the auburn haired woman.

"Zelena," she greeted with exasperation. "I hadn't realized you were already here. However did you beat me?"

"Directly after our chat, dear mother, I had left on an earlier flight. I figured that I would let myself in and start up our… investigation." It was then that Cora had noticed a laptop in front of her daughter on the coffee table, open to a page that looked too complicated for her to understand.

It was Zelena that had brought this idea to mind. This idea to spy on her little sister to help Cora get to the bottom of whatever her daughter had going on. She had embraced this idea, the perfect idea.

It had all started when she had found that worn out scrap of a toy that Regina had loved so much. That panda bear was the perfect item to use for what Zelena had in mind. It was a small procedure, a slice into the bear's back and a small bug that captured sound slipped into the fluff with a stitch to close it up.

It had worked, as they had soon found out on the laptop that Zelena had some inane program installed on. It hooked up with the strange voice thing and all of it had Cora's head pounding.

She was just glad that it worked and was sufficient enough to do the job.

And her daughter had embraced that bear welcomingly, which was the first successful step to the plan.

The next was to listen in on what would be going on through the other side. Hopefully Regina would put that bear somewhere the two of them could hear activity because if she had decided to throw that rag up in the attic, their plan had failed and they would have to come up with a new one.

Hopefully that wouldn't be the case.

"I had started on it already."

"Did you catch anything?" Cora asked, perching on the edge of the couch next to her eldest daughter.

"It was dead quiet for a few hours, sans holiday music and the occasional hum from our dear Regina." Zelena picked the computer up and sat it on her lap so her mother could have a closer look. She pressed a few buttons. "I hadn't been keeping tabs on it, but, going back, I can see that the vocal activity had changed significantly. I listened in on some of the conversation being had with this new guest and, lo and behold, it was that same girl."

"How can you be so sure?" Cora asked as Zelena had backtracked the audio to the conversation from earlier that day.

" _Are you warm, Emma?_ " That was Regina's voice, Cora immediately recognized.

" _Yeah, thanks…I know I probably should have waited, but I didn't really want to. I wanted to give you your gift on time. On Christmas."_  The brunette frowned at this new voice. It was feminine and much younger sounding than that of her daughter's. Was this that student Zelena had been talking about? She had claimed that it was.

" _My gift? Now, Emma, you didn't have to get me anything_ …"

" _I didn't. I made you something."_

"Is that her?" Cora asked, looking over towards the ginger haired woman.

"Yes," Zelena nodded, a smirk on her lips. "I recognize the voice."

"Anyways, after that, they're just opening up gifts so I fast-forwarded. They had left the room for quite some time." Zelena clicked a few buttons on the computer and skipped ahead on the audio track to a spot later on.

"I don't understand." Cora furrowed her brows.

"What don't you understand, mother?"

"Why on Earth would she go after someone so young?" It had baffled her. Of course, she was against Regina going after women altogether, but a  _young_  one? One that was surely half her age.

"Because she is sick, like you had said." Zelena curled her upper lip into a sneer. "That is why we are doing this. To rid of  _that_."

"It's disgusting." Cora mumbled, her attention breaking from the conversation to listen to her daughter's voice.

"I bet they're screwing." Her daughter suddenly said, interrupting Cora's concentration.

"Oh, please. My daughter would know better than to-"

" _Sh-shit, Gina!"_  A sharp cry, louder than the other audio had rang through the otherwise quiet room.

Cora gawked, wondering when the hell something like this had started. She gazed to Zelena who had mirrored her expression, eyes glued to the screen of the laptop.

" _Nuh-uh-uh…My story isn't over_." Regina's voice was not like something the lawyer had ever heard before. It was deep, sultry, and held a tinge of breathlessness. There was a sound rather unpleasing to her ears as she could just  _hear_  exactly what they were doing. She could  _vomit_.

" _Hng, please! Tell me_!"

" _And just as I was about to orgasm, my mother knocked."_ Another sharp cry from the girl could be heard.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Cora squawked, pointing at the screen as if it would give her answers.

"Congratulations, your daughter has screwed a minor." Zelena turned her sapphire gaze to the older woman, a pleased look on her features. "Is she now officially the largest disappointment in your life?"

"No… No…" Cora slowly shook her head, not willing to admit to that. "She's still able to be helped."

Zelena gave a nasty look and turned away.

Cora merely brushed her look off. Regina was still able to be helped, she was sure of it. She could always turn her daughter's attitude around. She wasn't giving up on that woman so easily, especially not as much as her nasty brat of an older daughter had thought.

There was no wonder why she had been such a huge disappointment to her until recently.

But she would never admit as such. She still had hope for Regina. Hope for the one that she thought would be smart enough to conquer her illness and return to a normal life. The life that she had been destined to live.

There was something, though, that Cora could feel whenever her eldest was around. Of course, she wasn't dumb enough to pass this off. She knew what Zelena wanted from her. She wanted what she was going to give to Regina, and what she had already given to her.

She wanted the love of her mother and the wealth of the business that she ran.

Cora had guessed she wanted more of the latter the way she had greedily ate up her loft upon her first arrival two years ago. Why Cora had ever bothered letting that woman into her house to begin with, she would never know.

At least she was good for something, though. She had gotten a scoop on Regina before she had arrived and came up with the lovely little plan to spy on her. Maybe she would be worth handing the company over to in the end. Maybe she should just let Regina rot on her own.

But something about that thought had Cora's heart crumbling in her chest. Though Regina had irritated her to no end with her brash behavior, she still loved her little girl very much, and had spent thirty-seven years doing so. For Zelena, she had only personally known her for the past two years and had come to like her only mutually. She didn't harbor the love for her eldest daughter as she had for her youngest.

Maybe she had a little love for her. But she suspected it to be a sort of maternal bond than anything else.

Cora sighed and tried to block out the audio still being emitted from Zelena's laptop. Why hadn't she turned that off by now? They were virtually listening to porn.

"Turn that off." She demanded, pushing herself up from the couch. Obviously there was nothing more to listen to now.

When Zelena had obeyed the order, she stood as well. "Are we finished?"

"I'm exhausted," the lawyer bluntly muttered. "I'm going to clean up and go to bed. If there is any more speech from those two, or just from Regina herself, tell me of it in the morning."

"I will, mother." Cora cringed at the use of the word "mother."

"Good." She proceeded towards her bedroom when the auburn-haired woman had stopped her with a hand on the shoulder.

"What are you going to do with her?"

"You know what I'm going to do." Cora shrugged the hand off her and continued on. A groan of irritation almost left her as she heard her daughter's feet patter behind her.

"You said you were going to revert her, I know. But… what about the girl?"

"Don't worry about that." Cora stopped and whirled around to face the younger woman, a devious smirk on her lips. "She will be taken care of when I go back to Storybrooke. We won't have to worry about her getting in the way."

"Will you kill her?"

"Oh, no, darling." The older woman laughed and brushed the question off with a hand in the air. "Regina will do that for us."

* * *

**STORYBROOKE, MAINE: NEW YEAR'S EVE**

Emma flopped on her bed, shifting uncomfortably as her forest eyes were kept on the small digital clock on her bed stand. It was nearing midnight, with only ten minutes to go. And midnight meant a new day. And that new day resulted in a new year.

 _And_  that New Year was when Emma had decided to tell her foster parents of what she had hidden so long. She had contemplated greatly on what Regina had told her on Christmas night when she had dropped her off.

The blonde was quite reluctant to ever reveal this news to her foster parents, especially since she hadn't a clue how they would react. They could shun her, send her back into the system, like the others had done when she had revealed her sexuality to them.

That reason was exactly why she kept it to herself.

Mary Margaret and David didn't seem the type to do that, though she couldn't be so sure. People tended to be something far different on the inside than they appeared on the outside. That had terrified Emma. She didn't want to ruin her perfect relationship with the two of them over something that seemed so stupid.

She wished that she could just keep it from them.

The blonde closed her eyes momentarily before opening them, glancing at the glowing green numbers.

_11:55._

She swallowed thickly. She had five minutes, even less now, to tell them. Emma had spent  _days_  thinking about how she was going to bring it up. She had spent nights, curled up in bed, thinking of the outcomes.

Would they be disgusted? Would they be happy for her? Would they just brush it off?

There was no telling. Only time would tell.

And did she ever hate time.

Time had become something of an enemy to her. There was never enough, and sometimes there was too much.

In this specific case, there was definitely not enough in the world.

She didn't have to tell them. She knew it. She wasn't obligated and she could back out now if she wished. But if she backed out now, she would only wimp out in the future. They would never know unless they had ever caught her with a lover like Regina had.

" _Better sooner rather than later. That way they learn to accept it, if they don't, by the time comes."_

Regina had said, and she was right. If she were to tell them now, she wouldn't have to worry about any reactions they might have in the future when Emma would be too far into something to take it well.

They wouldn't know about Regina.

And their ignorance to her would be bliss since they would be unable to tear her away from Emma, or guilt the blonde into leaving her.

Regina was safe. And that had made Emma safe. Well, for the most part anyways.

The teenager glanced up at the clock again, the thoughts in her mind swimming away as she sobered up.

_11:59._

"Emma?" Mary Margaret called from downstairs. "It's almost time. You going to join us?"

"Yeah!" The blonde swallowed thickly and wiped her suddenly clammy palms on her pajama bottoms. Here she goes.

David turned his attention towards his foster daughter when she hopped down the stairs, wearing an uncomfortable smile on her face. "I didn't think you'd make it. We have about fifteen seconds away from the new year."

"Oh, boy." Emma made her way towards the two of them, who had been standing in the living room with their eyes glued to the television and the countdown on it.

" _Five… Four… Three… Two… One! Happy New Year, everybody!_ " The announcer shouted through the television's speakers and Emma closed her eyes as her foster parents whooped.

"Time to break out the sparkling juice!" Mary Margaret chimed, heading towards the kitchen to pour the three of them a glass of the sparkling white grape juice that she got every year for the occasion.

David grinned and clapped a hand on Emma's back. "It's the new year."

"Feels the same to me." Emma mumbled as they joined her foster mother in the kitchen.

"Time for our New Year's Resolutions!" Mary Margaret chirped excitedly, handing the two of them the glass of sparkling juice.

Emma accepted her glass and took a sip, a gentle sigh slipping from her lips. Here were the resolutions that Mary Margaret and David seemed so keen to have. The years that she had been here, they had done them and normally hadn't fulfilled them by the year's end.

The first New Year she had spent here at midnight during that time, they had told her that she could confess to anything if she had ever wanted. She had suspected they were saying that so she would tell them more about herself, but that never worked. She stuck with simple things and kept closed up, just making simple goals for herself. She hadn't believed in making anything grand, because she knew nothing good would ever come of the year.

Normally she would be gone by the year's end and into a new house for the next one.

It came to her as a surprise that she was still here the very next year. Then, did she confess to something. Only one thing that wasn't anything major. She had told them this was the first time she had ever had a happy new year and had hope for the one to come.

"I'll resolute to reducing the amount of bear claws I eat." David barked with laughter at his own words, patting his gut as his wife joined him with a gleeful giggle.

"But you won't." She murmured fondly, a twinkle in her eyes as she gazed at him.

"What's your resolution?" He turned on her, a wry smile on his lips. Emma grinned at the way they seemed to tease each other, nearly chuckling when Mary Margaret stuck her tongue out at him.

Those two were so in love. Most of the time it was nauseating to watch, but it was quite sweet at other times. It reminded her of Regina in a way and how much she really did love that woman. It was crazy.

The past year was absolutely crazy and she could have never dreamed of what had happened.

"What about you, Emma?" Mary Margaret turned to stare at the blonde and only then did she realize she had completely missed what her foster mother's resolution was.

Gulping, she gave her a shaky smile. She was in the spotlight now. Was she going to really tell them?

"I have a confession for the new year that I need to get off my chest." She found herself wheezing out, her heart thudding in her chest.

What was she doing?

She felt as if she were going to faint.

Her brain seemed to float away and each movement not her own. She was too far gone now. She needed to tell them. How, was the question.

They looked at her expectantly, David's brows rising.

"Oh," Mary Margaret hummed, her head tilted. "What is it, honey?"

"I-I…" Emma chewed on her lower lip. "I probably should have told you this a long time ago. Like… when I first got here."

"Emma…" David frowned now, noticing the way the blonde had started to fidget in her spot. And fidget she did, tugging nervously at her fingers as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then back and forth again.

"If you don't want to tell us…"

"No, I do. I need to." Emma cleared her throat and dropped her arms to her sides, trying to gain new confidence.

Just say it.

Make it blunt.

"I like girls." She said, casting a worried look towards the two.

David seemed to nod slowly as Mary Margaret just stared at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, setting her glass down. "It's not a secret, right? Your friends are girls."

David wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. "Mary Margaret…"

He knew what she meant.

Emma looked at him, then to her foster mother.

Was she playing dumb? Or was she denying it?

"I-I'm gay," Emma cleared up, bracing herself for the worst.

"What do you mean?" Mary Margaret repeated her question, this time her brows were furrowed. David's grip only tightened.

"Mary Margaret…" he whispered her name as if to tell her to come off it.

But she didn't.

"How come you hadn't told us this?"

"I just wasn't…"

"You weren't what?" Emma flinched when she heard Mary Margaret's voice rise.

Never once had she ever taken that tone with her.

"Were you incapable of telling us something this important?"

"Honey, don't do this." David tried to calm his wife, giving her a squeeze, but the woman wouldn't have it. She pulled away from him, glaring in his direction.

"David. Don't  _you_  do  _that_. Stay out of it."

"Look…" Emma muttered, holding her hands up. "I don't want to make you angry or anything."

"Oh, but you already had! You should have told me this, Emma."

"I would have… But I was scared to."

"What's scary is the influence it will be giving you!"

"What do you mean?" The blonde's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

Really, what the hell was she talking about? What influence?

That woman made zero sense.

And David just stood there with a sympathetic gaze.

"Why would you do this to me, Emma? You could just have a nice boy…" Mary Margaret crossed her arms over her chest, not moving from her spot.

That was a good thing.

Because the last time this happened the foster mother moved from her spot.

And slapped her.

"It's all a simple mistake, right, Emma? You just haven't had the chance to find yourself a nice boy. I can help you, you know that?" Now she was smiling as if her plan would fix it all. "You can have a nice boyfriend and see how much better men are for you."

Emma stared at her, flabbergasted. Was she really saying this? Was she really going to try to shove a dick down her throat?

Because that thought absolutely terrified Emma and was one of the reasons she was quite gay.

"It's not like that, Mary Margaret." The blonde licked her lips and drew in a breath "Look, I'm not sexually attracted to men. It's not that I can't get a boyfriend, I just don't  _want_  one."

"What about Killian?"

"I just went to the dance with him because he literally  _begged_  me."

"You led him on."

"Yes," she answered, even though it wasn't a question. "But I told him and he's cool with it."

"That's not a nice thing to do, Emma." The pixie-haired woman huffed, quirking a brow at her foster daughter. "And it wasn't nice to keep this from me."

"I'm  _sorry_. I was just… scared of how you'd react. It's happened before and it had ended badly." Emma admitted, her head downcast. "I thought you were cool with the whole gay thing, like when I told you about that couple in Boston."

"That's  _them_ , Emma. This is  _you_."

"So? What's the difference?" The blonde snapped her head up, her voice laced with pain.

Was there something defective about her since she was gay? Was it a sin to be with these two in person?

"You shouldn't subject yourself to something like that! Do you know what people will say about you? About  _us?_ "

"Why should you care? I thought you loved me?" Emma narrowed her eyes in disbelief. She looked at David who just stood there, gazing sadly at his wife.

"I do, Emma."

"Then why should you care who I like?" She asked softly.

"Because it's just not  _right_." Mary Margaret argued. "Do you know what the others in this town will say? They'll look at us differently and I cannot accept that."

"They won't have to know."

"But they'll find out!"

"Oh, your poor reputation!" Emma mock lamented, throwing her arms in the air.

Was Mary Margaret conceded enough only to care about  _herself_  and  _her_  appearance to the public of Storybrooke that she didn't care how it affected Emma?

The blonde was wrong about her, just as she had been with everyone else. Mary Margaret was going to be just like everyone else. She was just going to toss her aside and forget about her.

"Don't you talk back to me, Emma Swan!" The brunette squawked, glowering at the blonde. She still remained in her spot, unmoving.

Emma only rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry for being gay. Why don't you just send me back like a defective toy?"

"Maybe I will."

Those three words that left Mary Margaret's mouth felt like a sword stabbing Emma right through the heart. The tears welled in her eyes faster than anything.

"Mary Margaret!" David's voice was stern as he moved forward, but it wasn't towards his wife. He made a move to Emma, but the blonde jerked from his grasp.

"Leave me alone!" Her throat constricted as the words choked out of her mouth. She made her way to the stairs, soon finding solace on her bed.

Everything up until that point had been nothing but child's play. They were words that she had heard time and time again, and were all too used to. Even though she had heard something very similar to what Mary Margaret had told her, they still stung her as fresh as the first time.

She really had Mary Margaret written wrong. She thought that woman loved without restriction. She thought she wouldn't never resort to such a threat and wouldn't let go of her. But that was all just a lie in Emma's mind. She was just like the rest. She was just going to leave her out in that world alone again.

Thankfully she was a legal adult now. She wouldn't have to go back in the system. She could do whatever the hell she wanted.

Right now what she wanted to do is get the hell out of this place and go seek out her girlfriend. Maybe she would take her in for the time being.

Emma picked her cellphone up, tears streaming down her face as sobs wracked her body. She was no longer numb to the pain that she had been so used to enduring. She was as fragile as she had been as a little girl and easily shattered. And currently, she was in a million pieces.

The pieces that may never be put back together correctly.

" _Emma?_ " Regina's drowsy voice answered from the other side of the line, sending a shot of peace through Emma's body.

Though she still did not calm.

"G-Gina?" She cried into the phone, clutching it close against her ear as she rocked herself on the bed.

" _My God, Emma! What happened? Are you alright? Where are you?"_

"N-no…" she answered into the phone, choking down a sob. "I-I told them."

The line went silent for a moment before Regina finally answered. " _I take it that it hadn't ended well?_ "

Emma shook her head before remembering the brunette couldn't see her. "Can I s-stay at your place?"

" _Oh, Emma…_ " The teacher cooed. " _Of course you can."_

"Th-thanks…" Emma sniffled, her breathing ragged as she stood from her bed.

" _Would you like for me to come get you?"_

"Pl-please…"

" _I'm on my way._ "

Emma grunted something into the phone before hanging up.

This was why she loved that woman. She didn't question her. She was willing to pick her up at such a late hour of the night.

Sweet woman.

How could her foster mother not see something like this?

Well, the answer was obvious… But the love Emma could have for another was evident, even if that other was a woman. She could love a woman just as she would a man.

Why does she need a man to make her happy? And why would Mary Margaret be so insistent on that? It didn't have anything to do with her, and frankly, it only irritated Emma. It was her life, after all.

She was the one to lead it. She was the one to make the choices within it.

Emma wiped the tears from her eyes as she grabbed her duffle bag from the closet and began to pack important items into it. She wasn't sure how long she wanted to be gone from this place. Currently, she couldn't give a shit to return and would happily live her life away from the Nolans.

She would just grab what was most important to her and leave the rest. She could always come back to get it when things have cooled down. Though, that thought wasn't the least bit pleasant.

Shaking those thoughts away, she focused her attention on packing the duffle bag before moving onto her backpack. When both were full with clothes and items, she set them by the stairs and moved to don her leather jacket and boots.

Then she took the jacket off, flinging it onto the bed before deciding to wear her favorite hooded sweatshirt instead.

The blonde paused, looking around the room to see if she forgot anything. Then it hit her. She was leaving. This would be her last foster house and the final family that would reject her for being Emma. She wouldn't have to deal any longer with the bullshit of the system and could finally live her life.

She was leaving it behind.

But there was something that struck her heart greatly, leaving her in a pain that she never thought possible. She was really going to miss this place. She loved the Nolans dearly and she still did. But Mary Margaret had pulled the last straw by saying those three words that pierced her heart with a pain greater than all others.

She knew how much that would hurt Emma and yet she had said them. She knew what the blonde teenager had been through during her lifetime and she didn't seem to give a lick of sympathy when she carelessly muttered those words.

Well, she would soon regret ever saying them because she had lost Emma now.

The blonde hissed her thoughts aloud and grabbed her bags to head down the stairs. She was immediately stopped by the two of them, their eyes focused intently on her.

"Emma…" Mary Margaret took a step towards her, but Emma quickly shook her head and darted away from her.

"No. You've done enough. You don't want me as part of this family." Saying those words brought fresh tears to her eyes. "And you're getting your wish."

"Don't do this, Emma. I-I didn't mean it." She whispered. "I'm sorry…"

"You already lost me, Mary Margaret. I'm sorry that it had to end this way." Emma avoided looking at her as she headed towards the door, ignoring the pleas from David.

"Emma, think about what you're doing. Don't walk out that door. Please. We need to discuss this."

But she wasn't hearing it as she opened the door.

"If you step out that door, Emma, don't plan on coming back." Her foster mother's words had finally ceased her, and she turned around.

"That's rich coming from you." She recoiled, shimmering forest eyes on the brunette who appeared to regret the very words that left her mouth moments earlier. "And it's alright. I don't plan on it. Ever."

Without waiting for a reply, she stepped through the threshold and into the hallway. She could hear Mary Margaret's desperate apology behind her, but she ignored it and pulled the door shut.

Emma quickly made her way down the stairs and pulled the second door open. The cool night's breeze blew into the building, causing her to shiver. She was definitely glad that Regina offered to pick her up. It was cold as hell and she didn't feel like walking in it.

The blonde sighed, standing in the doorway for a moment. Her eyes were on the black Benz parked in front of the building. She could see the snowflakes as they fell in front of the headlights, shimmering as they daintily floated in the air.

Drawing her attention away from the scenery outside, she twisted her body to look behind her. One last look because she was certain that she wouldn't be coming back. This would be the last time she would be in this building. She would no longer live here. This was no longer a home of hers. It was just another to scratch off the list.

Sighing, she crossed over the threshold once again, her boot crunching on the snow underfoot. She could do this. She felt  _strong_. So strong that she drew her other boot from the hallway until she was standing outside with the door's handle in her hand.

Then she released it.

And when the door clicked shut, she broke.

And when she broke, she sobbed, falling back against the door with her back pressed to it as her body shuddered with sorrow.

She heard a car door, but chose to ignore it as she covered her face with an arm.

How could stepping away from this building be so hard?

She had left homes so many times before.

Or had she?

They were nothing but houses. A home was where the heart was, or so she was told. And her heart never lie in those other places she had been. They had never loved her. They only loved the money that she brought in.

But the Nolans had loved her and she them. She had made a home here in the past years that she had stayed. And the harsh reality of it struck her.

She was leaving her home.

"Emma, honey…" She heard the familiar husky voice call her name as warm arms wrapped tightly around her.

Emma turned into the older woman's arms and sobbed into her shoulder, her arms wrapping the best they could around Regina's petite frame.

Regina was her second home, or so she had claimed. Her heart lie with the brunette as well and she felt at peace whenever around her. She would help her. She always helped…

"I've got you, sweetheart." Regina whispered into the air, pressing kisses to the top of her head. A soothing hand rubbed circles on her upper back as they rocked back and forth.

Emma could already feel herself calming as she inhaled her lover's spicy perfume. Her eyes remained squeezed shut as she clung to her jacket, fists balled into the material when she tried to catch her breath from the hiccups.

"I've got you…" The brunette reassured again, gloved fingers brushing through blonde tangles. "I won't let you go. I'm here."

Emma wanted so badly to respond to her, reassuring that her that she knew that she was here for her. She wanted to tell her thank you. She appreciated what she was doing for her. But the words only caught in her throat and escaped as another sob into her shoulder.

"Sh… sh sh…" Regina hummed softly, pressing several kisses to Emma's forehead.

The blonde hiccupped and pulled slightly away from the brunette, minutes later after she had finally calmed. She stared at the older woman with large, puffy eyes and a nose that could resemble Rudolph's.

"Th-thank you…" She whispered, voice hoarse.

"Don't thank me, sweetheart." Regina cupped her rosy cheek, giving her a reassuring smile. "This is what I'm here for."

"We should go… I don't want to be around this building anymore."

"Of course," the brunette nodded, concern sharp in her eyes as she pulled from the blonde and made her way over towards the Benz still running.

Emma followed her, opening the backseat door to shove her bags in before getting into the front passenger's seat. After she had settled and pulled her seat belt on, the teacher pulled away from the curb and started off towards her house.

"You brought quite a bit of luggage." Regina commented, her voice soft.

"Yeah," the blonde responded, giving her a sheepish smile. "I hope you don't mind."

"I don't." She kept her eyes on the road. It was icy out and Emma could feel the car skitter to the side when she had turned a corner. It gave her high anxiety being out on the streets when it was like this. It was one of the reasons why she hated winter.

"How long do you plan on staying?" Regina asked curiously, mocha orbs transfixed on the blonde now once they had safely got onto the desolate street.

Emma didn't answer the question, instead gazing out the window beside her at the yards with Christmas decorations.

She didn't  _want_  to answer that question, because in truth, she didn't want to go back. Yes, perhaps after some time had passed she would change her mind, but she definitely didn't want to bother with it now. And answering Regina's question would give her only a specific time frame to stay, or so it had felt. She didn't want something definite right now.

But how if the brunette teacher didn't want her residing at her house for that long of time?

Emma would have to rethink her options and crash somewhere. Like at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Ruby could hook her up with a room there. She could even get a part-time job at the diner to pay for her board.

Closing her eyes, the blonde forced the thoughts away. She didn't want to think so quickly of her future right now. She wanted to live right now, right at this moment, and continue out the rest of this night with Regina.

She didn't want to think of the past nor the future. They would only cause her to worry, to panic like she so often found herself doing.

The blonde opened her eyes again, just in time to see a car pulling out of a driveway ahead of him. She tensed at the sight. Regina was going fast and they didn't look like they were going to relent. Her pulse quickened.

"Regina?" she glanced towards the brunette who wore the same panicked expression, her foot slamming on the breaks.

Only they didn't slow down.

The Mercedes still slid across the icy road and straight towards the car that would surely be T-boned by them.

It was a silent scream that resonated in Emma's mind as her mouth formed an O when the brunette suddenly jerked the steering wheel to avoid the car, who had finally gained enough wit to pull back forward.

The cars met, the front of the Benz ramming into the silver automobile before crashing into a large snow pile from the street cleaners. Both women gasped, Emma's heart feeling as if it had stopped when the car had.

The blonde was thrown forward, though the seat belt had luckily stopped her from flying through the window and left her with an uncomfortable pain on her chest bone.

"Shit, that was close…" she breathed, emerald eyes wide as she fell back in her seat.

Emma's breathing heavy, matching Regina's as she stared back to the car that they had hit. It was already driving down the road, its rear lights fading off in the snowy distance.

"Asshole," she muttered, turning back to take a peek at her girlfriend.

That's when it had hit her that the teacher hadn't said a thing about the accident. All she heard was the other woman's breathing, heavy in the suddenly thick air.

"Regina?" Emma whispered.

Regina was currently slumped in her spot, her head bowed with hair shielding her face from Emma's view. She remained unmoving, hands on lap and seat belt totally not on.

This had panicked Emma.

She was always the one to insist on safety first. She wouldn't even start the car without Emma first putting her seat belt on. And, the one time that Regina hadn't followed her own rules…

"Regina!" She said more urgently, shaking the brunette's arm.

There was no response. She only moved limply with each push, her head bobbing.

"Oh… shit… shit shit shit… Fuck… Regina, please wake up." Emma shifted in her seat, standing on her knees as she moved closer to the older woman and tilted her head back, pushing the raven locks from her face.

That's when she saw it. There was a nasty cut on her forehead with dark, crimson liquid seeping from it and down the side of her face. Deep colored streams also ran from her nostrils, seeping down her face like a bloody waterfall. They must have been from hitting her head on the steering wheel. It was like a damn gore scene with all the blood she saw and that panicked her. It didn't help that the blood from her nose continued to drip, spilling down the sides of her face and neck.

God, why hadn't she noticed Regina's knocking herself out?

"Regina, please…" She cupped the brunette's olive cheek and stroked it with the pad of her thumb, willing those beautiful brown eyes to open. "Please…"

Emma's eyes misted with tears. What the hell was she going to do?

With a shaky breath, she pulled her hand away and dug in her pocket for her cell phone. She had no other choice than to call an ambulance. There could be more damage dealt to Regina than what appeared. She could have a concussion for all she knew.

Trembling fingers dialed numbers as tears streaked down her face. Oh, god, why the hell did she let Regina pick her up? It was all her fault. She was the one that had called the older woman. She was the one who had agreed for Regina to come get her on such an icy night. She should have known better. She would have been better off walking.

If she had walked, they wouldn't be in the current position they were in right now.

"Emma..?" A confused voice sounded from beside her. The blonde could barely hear it and glanced towards the teacher to be sure her ears weren't playing tricks on her. Regina was staring at her, those big beautiful chocolate eyes were open and focused on her.

"Gina!" The blonde squeaked, dropping her phone onto her lap to give the teacher a tight hug. She had flown across the seat and nearly settled herself into the older woman's lap. "I was so afraid that you weren't going to wake up."

"I'm fine, Emma…" Regina's arms, warm and comforting, slid around the blonde's petite waist. "I'm alright."

"Are you?" The blonde pulled away and looked at the wound on her forehead, a finger moving to give it a gentle prod. The brunette winced, hissing in a breath. "You have a cut."

"Mm, so I see." The teacher murmured, flipping the visor down to peek in the mirror to see that she had, in fact, had a cut there. "Oh, god," she gasped.

"It's really bad…" Emma shifted in her seat. There had to some sort of napkin in here somewhere…

She searched the car frantically, eventually opening up the glove box to find a single napkin. With a sigh of relief, she licked the end of it and started to clean the drying blood from Regina's face and neck.

"What are you doing?" The brunette absently questioned, her brows furrowed as the blonde had continued with her ministrations until she had cleaned the blood up to the wound. Then she stopped.

"I'm cleaning the blood up."

"We shouldn't do that here." Regina grabbed the blonde's wrist as she made a reach for the cut on her forehead. "Better lighting at home and medical supplies."

"Are you sure that you're able to drive? You really took a nasty crack on your noggin. And your nose is… well, it was bleeding. It could be broken." Emma tossed the soiled napkin onto the floor, earning a disapproving look from Regina.

"I am fine, Emma." She reassured. "Though, I'm not sure about my car…"

"We're in snow."

The brunette teacher turned a glare on her that could melt the entire block's snow. She shrank back into her seat and buckled up once again.

"Put your seat belt on." She reminded Regina who had already set the car into reverse.

"Right…" she quickly clicked the seat belt into place and began to pull slowly away from the large bank of snow.

"Are we moving?"

"Slowly, yes."

"I'm sorry for making you come get me." Emma muttered as the brunette continued to reverse, the car tires spinning relentlessly in the snow without the car actually moving.

"You didn't make me. I offered." Regina sighed, pulled her foot off the gas and undid her seat belt.

"Yeah, but… I should have just walked."

"Emma, darling," the brunette turned and grabbed Emma's face into her hands. "Don't worry about it. Focus on getting your ass out of the car and helping me get this snow out of the way so we can go home."

"Sorry…" Emma mumbled sheepishly, staring doe-y eyed into Regina's warm gaze.

A soft curve lifted on the brunette's pink lips, gentle and adoring. She leaned forward, bringing the blonde's face closer to her own as she parted her lips and smashed them against the eighteen-year-old's.

The blonde's breath hitched at the contact and she remained stiffened from surprise for only a moment before melting completely into the kiss, returning it. Their lips slid together in perfect harmony, their labored breaths filling the car's enclosed atmosphere.

Then Regina pulled away, gave her an impish smile, and chuckled. "Come on. I'd like to get home."

"Yeah…" Emma murmured breathlessly and tugged her seat belt off so she could get out. Her cheeks were flushed, and not just from the cold air that bit into her skin as soon as she exited the car.

That woman was all sorts of hot, even when she was injured.

 _Damn_.

The blonde joined Regina at the front of the car and began to kick the snow surrounding the tires away with her feet. When the two thought it sufficient enough, they both entered the car again, buckled up, and tried against to reverse from the spot.

It worked this time and they were on the icy road again, Regina this time fully alert as she drove extra slow on the desolate streets.

It was well past one, Emma was sure, and that was definitely late in a small town. Normally everyone was locked up inside by nine or ten, leaving very few to roam the streets.

That was a reason to love and hate small towns. She loved the closeness of the, the smallness of area to go from one destination to the other. There was rarely any traffic out, especially late at night, which was normally when she liked to be out.

What she hated was that, yes, people were usually at home this late. And people being home, stores were usually closed and that meant she couldn't buy late night munchies if she wanted them.

And the town felt so  _dead_  when it was so late. It felt almost abandoned with street lights changing futilely in the late of night.

Emma loved the big cities for the opposite of that. She loved the liveliness that they had with people bustling in the streets at all hours of the night as if the time of day didn't matter. She was a night owl herself and preferred to be around others who were as well. She didn't want to walk the streets as a loner with nowhere to go. Small towns sucked for that.

She loved the  _buzz_. That's why she wanted to hit up a college in Boston. It was a big city and she and Graham would no doubt stay out late. She wanted to paint the town like girls her age would do. She wanted to  _live_.

But what was holding her back and making it such a conflict to decide was Regina. She wanted to stay with that woman. She didn't want to leave her and live in a large city where she barely knew anyone. Hell. She only knew  _one_  out of thousands.

She wanted Regina with her, but she also didn't want to get stuck in Storybrooke.

At least not right now.

She wanted to live out her prime years and actually  _live_  them like she never had.

It had been her dream since a little girl to get away.

But that didn't sound so appealing now. Not if it meant leaving Regina behind in a boring little town, working at a job she was constantly criticized at. She wanted to strap a handcuffs on that woman and bring her along.

The only problem was: Would Regina be willing to go with her? Would she be willing to do something like that? Leave the town that she had settled in?

It was a new year, Emma told herself. That meant a new start. A fresh start. The conversation that she needed to have with Regina. It had been bothering her for weeks now and, though it was still early in their relationship, she felt as if they had been together for  _years_  and she wanted to plan a future for them.

Only if Regina would have her.

The blonde sighed and set her bags on the chaise lounge in Regina's room. Her thoughts had taken over her conscious she hadn't realized where she was until she looked around.

The beautiful bedroom. One that she had grown used to. One that she was sure Regina had as well. Would she want to leave it behind?

Emma drank in the familiar surroundings, smiling when she had spotted her painting just above the armoire with the raggedy stuffed panda sitting on top.

"I put it up as promised." Regina's husky voice sounded from behind the blonde and she jumped in surprise, too occupied by thought to have heard the woman come up.

"I see. And with your little panda there."

"Indeed," she chuckled softly, wrapping her arms around Emma's waist. The blonde closed her eyes, letting her lover's sweet, apple scent fill her senses. She leaned into her, hands drawing up to cover Regina's.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" She asked, turning slightly in the older woman's arms. "We still need to get your cut all fixed up. Come on." The blonde escaped Regina's grip, pale fingers slipping into olive ones as she led the chuckling woman to the bathroom.

Once there, she sat the toilet seat down and had Regina take a seat as she searched for the first-aid supplies that the teacher had in the medicine cabinet.

"So, are you going to tell me what exactly happened?" Regina asked, striking a conversation as the blonde brought out a bottle of peroxide and a cotton ball.

Emma sighed, dabbing the little white fluff into the liquid before bringing it up to the cut on Regina's forehead, earning a wince and hiss of pain in response. "I told them."

"Blatantly?"

"Well, there's this thing that they had me do on New Year's instead of some resolution- because they do those- but, that's beside the point. They wanted me to give them at least one confession for the New Year, you know, a fresh start?" Emma hesitated as she gently dabbed the wound on her lover's forehead until the blood was mostly washed away to reveal a rather nasty scar. It started in her hairline and extended down towards a good portion of the upper half of her forehead. It wasn't deep, but it was a nasty surface wound with a slightly purple tint surrounding it that had the blonde cringing. That steering wheel did a great deal on her.

"I understand…" Regina's eyes darted to the bathroom counter where the blonde set to work with a bandage.

"Yeah, so I confessed that. I said that I liked girls, you know? But Mary Margaret had to act dumb and ask what I meant." She let out a sigh and turned to stick the bandage over Regina's cut, nearly covering a third of her forehead.

Emma sighed softly and withdrew herself for a moment to look at the brunette before her. Chocolate eyes sparkled with emotion, so strong and rich that it had made her knees weak and her heart swell. Perfect, dark locks spilled down the sides of her face, stopping at her shoulders with a gentle curve. The smile on her pale, pink lips was enough to stop traffic. She was so beautiful when she wore that smile full of love and happiness.

Though, Emma couldn't imagine why. She must be in so much pain what with that nasty wound on her forehead and her nose, which had taken a sort of ugly yellow-green-purple color.

She should have never let Regina come get her. It would have been much safer if she had walked and her lover wouldn't currently be sitting there looking beat.

Emma frowned and cupped the brunette's cheek, the frown faltering when Regina's had welcomingly nuzzled her hand.

"What did they say?" She inquired, the mocha hues disappearing underneath naked eyelids.

_God, did Regina look ever perfect without makeup?_

Emma blinked and shook that thought away no matter how much it was true. "Well, after Mary Margaret asked that, I just blurted that I was gay. Then she had asked it  _again_."

"What about David?"

"He just stood there and said Mary Margaret's name, you know how someone does that when someone else is going a little too far or something? He didn't really say anything else besides that." Emma scoffed. He didn't even try to defend her. She wasn't exactly sure of his feelings, but he didn't join in with Mary Margaret's little rant about her sexuality. She suspected he was okay with it, but didn't want to argue against his wife.

Though, Emma wished he had. That might have made her want to stay.

Regina shook her head, pulling Emma down onto her lap. The blonde accepted the new position with a weary sigh and leaned against her, an arm looping around the older woman's waist.

"What did she say after that?" The brunette hesitantly asked.

"To sum it up, she wasn't happy and said that all I needed was to find a nice boy. She accused me of having these feelings towards women because of lack of dates, I'm pretty sure." The blonde scowled.

It was utterly ridiculous that Mary Margaret had even suggested that. It wasn't exactly surprising though. This was Mary Margaret after all and those words said were quite often.

Those assumptions. It was just like being back in Mr. Spencer's class again.

"Of course she did…" The teacher sighed, her eyes closing.

"I didn't care that she said that, really. That wasn't what made me just up and leave." Emma's voice wavered as she thought of the real reason she had left. It was the statement that killed her hope for them. Those three words that struck her in a sore place, reopening old wounds.

"What did she say, Emma?" Regina tightened her grip, forcing the blonde closer to her. Emma gratefully accepted the comfort and curled up slightly.

"It may sound silly saying it out loud but…" She sucked in a shaky breath, a single tear shedding from her eye. "'Maybe I will.'"

"What do you mean?"

"She said that when I told her that she should just send me back into the foster system." Emma cracked.

"Emma…" Regina immediately pressed a kiss to the top of her head, her hand rubbing in circular motions on Emma's back.

Emma had told her of the times that she had came out to her foster parents and they had just sent her back. And all the other times that they had sent her back. It was the most painful of memories, being rejected from family after family. Eventually she gave up hope and remained numb. She wouldn't let herself get attached.

But that's what she did here. The Nolans were sweet, kind, warm and welcoming and she thought that she could trust them. She thought that she could trust that they wouldn't send her back because they didn't seem the kind of people. They didn't seem to be the kind that judged.

Oh, how wrong had Emma been?

She had completely read Mary Margaret wrong. She had sworn that the sweet, pixie-haired schoolteacher wouldn't be so harsh as to say something like that, nor react the way that she had.

It was a depressing thought.

Another home.

Another family.

Gone.

Would she ever find stability?

That was a question she asked herself every day. Regina seemed to be the only light of hope twinkling in the far off distance. She could find home in Regina. She could find stability.

But would it last?

Would Regina be willing to stay with her wherever she ended up?

"Why the hell would she say such a thing? That was terribly inhumane." Regina hissed the words angrily, her brows furrowed together as she stared at the wall across from her with molten eyes.

Emma nearly squeaked at the ferocity in her stare. It was rather terrifying.

"I don't know…" The blonde admitted, snuggling closer to her lover to get that look of her face. "And as I left, she didn't stop me, she just said if I walked through that door that I should plan on never coming back."

"I do not like this woman any longer." Regina scowled, her perfect, white teeth baring at the thought of the pixie-haired brunette.

"I trusted her." Emma said softly. "I grew attached to this place. To the Nolans. I promised myself not to do that because I would only end up hurt. But I reassured myself after the first year. They were a nice couple. I didn't think them capable of hurting me in any way, especially purposefully."

The brunette gazed at her through sad eyes and kissed her with tender lips.

Emma sighed blissfully, her fingers curling into Regina's pajama top.

"Gina," she whispered, forest eyes fluttering open to be greeted with mud.

"Yes?"

"Would you ever leave me?"

"Not if my life would depend on it."

Emma smiled at those words. She wanted so much to believe them, but people said crazy things when they were in love. They said crazy things when they were out of love.

But she decided to take those words to heart regardless. They made her feel better. They made her feel  _wanted_.

"Hey, honey. I mean it." An olive hand cupped Emma's pale cheek as Regina met her gaze. She was absolutely sincere about her statement. But sometimes that meant nothing for the future.

"I don't know if I can take you seriously." The blonde gave her an impish smile and Regina blinked.

"I really do mean it, Emma…"

"Yes. But we are also on the toilet, having this deep conversation."

And at that moment, she swore Regina was going to have a brain aneurism. Emma could already see that vein in her forehead popping out, even as the bandage covered it.

Oh, snap. The wrath of Regina Mills was about to be bestowed upon her.

"Then why don't we get into bed?" She suggested coolly, her arms untangling from Emma.

The blonde nodded slightly and slipped off Regina's lap. She gave her a sheepish smile before hopping out of the bathroom, the older woman following behind her with a deep chuckle. Emma's heart fluttered at the rich, melodic sound behind her.

She always loved Regina's laugh and she could never get tired of it.

Her laugh was one of the things that kept her going.

"Get in, Ms. Anti-Toilet-Talk." Regina hummed, passing her to climb onto the bed on the side she usually slept on, the left. The covers had already been pulled back and the bed mussed.

She must have been sleeping when Emma had called her. She  _did_  sound tired when she had answered.

"Lemme get comfy first." The blonde muttered softly as she pulled her sweatshirt over her head and tossed it onto her bags. Now she wasn't about to boil any longer. It was rather warm in the house wearing that heavy thing.

After pulling her boots and socks off, she joined Regina on the bed, flipping the covers back as well. Her back pressed against the headboard as a yawn ripped from her throat. She could lay down, she knew, because she would surely fall asleep.

She was emotionally exhausted, and a bit physically as well.

Her eyes glanced towards the bright numbers on the digital clock setting by Regina's bedside, the display reading  _2:09 A.M._

It had gotten rather late, hadn't it?

"So, you really mean it, huh?" Emma asked, starting back up from where they left off.

"Of course I do." The brunette responded as if the little intermission in their conversation hadn't happened. "I love you, Emma. I really do and I would be willing to do almost  _anything_  for you. I don't know how to explain my feelings or why they seemed to have come so fast and hit so hard. Our lunches together and our deep conversations before we had started dating might have contributed to it… quite a bit, actually.

"Yeah…" Emma bit her lip, her head slightly downcast as she gazed towards Regina. Her heart just  _swelled_  with one look, and that smile on her face made her absolutely  _melt_. "I know how you feel. It's, like… It's really hard to explain it."

"That's love for you, my duckling." The older woman pulled Emma towards her and, without warning, the blonde slightly fell on top of Regina's body. She giggled softly, wrapping her arm around the brunette's waist.

"It makes no sense and it makes you feel wonderfully blissful. There are no words to describe it, or so I have concluded." Regina smiled, her chin resting on top of soft, blonde locks as Emma kept her head resting on the teacher's breast.

"It's a magical force that I cannot comprehend." Emma agreed, shifting as she gave Regina a squeeze.

"Indeed," she chuckled. "Though we may not be able to comprehend it, we shouldn't question it. It's there. We feel it. We should enjoy it while we've got it."

"I want to feel like this forever." The blonde sighed, her eyes closing.

She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Regina, feeling this blissful emotion that coursed through her entire being. She couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else nor could she imagine ever living without Regina.

That was the frightening thing.

It shook her to her very core.

"I do, too," she heard that husky voice whispered just above her. A smile broke out on her face.

"Gina?"

"Mhm?"

"I have been thinking." She started, moving to face her lover. A warm smile greeted her and adoring chocolate eyes sent her into a puddle. "What are we going to do after I graduate? What will become of us?"

"I would like to believe we would remain as we are." The brunette simply answered.

"Yes, but…" The blonde trailed off, closing her eyes. "I don't want to stay here… in Storybrooke. I mean, I do want to stay with  _you_ , but I want to go to college and…"

"I see what you mean." Regina hushed her, cupping her cheeks as she stared deeply into green pools. The answer was there in them, Emma could see it.

"I will go where you go." She said, releasing the blonde's face but not before giving her pale lips a peck.

"But what about your job here?" Emma frowned slightly. She knew Regina adored her job for the most part. She loved teaching.

"It's getting old," she whispered, fingering a piece of blonde hair. "The students hate me and I am quite sure most of the staff hate me as well. I am not a good teacher according to them and I might as well just move on."

"But you love teaching?"

"Yes, but… I'm not exactly appreciated here and the students do not put in the effort that they should." Regina averted her gaze, but Emma could see the emotion flickering through those chocolate orbs. "Besides, I'm sure they will have open jobs for teaching up in Boston. Perhaps I can land one at a college where the courses will be more hard-put. Maybe then will the students give an effort."

Emma perked up at those words. Regina getting a job in Boston? And a college one at that? Perhaps their relationship as teacher and student wouldn't be over.

That thought sent a pleasant shiver down her spine and straight to her core. It was intoxicating to have such a forbidden relationship. And it was taunting as hell when you were sitting in a desk as your girlfriend was pacing around the classroom in those tight pantsuit outfits or sexy pencil skirts.

Mm, she could get used to that.

"Would you really do that… for me?" Emma asked. Though, it was pleasant and comforting to find out that Regina was willing to go with her, she had suspected that it wouldn't be so easy. Like, what was she going to do with the house here? And what about living quarters down in Boston?

"I have nothing for me here besides you, Emma." Regina left her big-eyed gaze on Emma's face, the smile on her lips only widening. Emma couldn't help but to grin as well, the little butterflies in her belly fluttering in a rapid tattoo.

"Goddamn, I love you, Gina." The blonde sighed contentedly, clutching onto her lover's side.

"And I, you. Like I had said, I would be willing to do almost anything for you. And if that means moving to Boston, then so be it." The brunette ran her fingers through golden curls, earning a purr from Emma as she pressed into the hand with a happy smile.

"How will you buy or rent something?"

The thought had just occurred to Emma. Did she have enough money for that? Teaching jobs didn't really seem to pay much, and she had a rather house here already. The bills must be through the roof.

Would she sell it?

"I have enough money in my account to rent a small apartment or house. I have more than enough, really, thanks to my mother." She easily answered.

"Can't you sell this house?"

"No," she shook her head. "My mother owns it. It'll be a nice place to stay if we ever visit. You have friends here, correct?"

"I suppose you're right." Emma smiled. That would sure as hell save them money if they would ever come down. She would like to visit her friends at some point.

And if she ever calmed down from the mishap with her foster parents, she could visit them as well.

Only if.

"The future sounds nice and less scary." Emma murmured after a few minutes of silence. She laid her head back on Regina's chest and just listened to her rhythmic heartbeat and each breath that she took.

The brunette responded quietly in response. It was then that the blonde had noticed the way her eyes drooped every few seconds, causing her to blink them rapidly before it happened again.

"You're tired," she chuckled softly, using a curled finger to caress her cheek. "We should sleep, Gina."

"I don't know if I want to sleep right now." Regina mumbled sleepily, a smile reaching her tired eyes stretched wide across her face. A hand had found its way into Emma's hair once again. "I like lying here with you. It's peaceful and takes the world away."

"It also rids the fact that school is starting back up tomorrow." The blonde grumbled, glancing at the clock once again to catch note of the time.

_3:15 A.M._

School started back up on the second of January, which in Emma's opinion, was quite stupid. She felt as if they didn't get enough time for winter break. Was she happy to not have to deal with high school ever again and its inane scheduling.

"Please, don't remind me." Regina moaned with displeasure, her head thumping against the headboard.

"You shouldn't do that." The blonde lifted an arm and brought the brunette's head back up, a lopsided smile on her lips. "You've already got it all shaken up."

"And I'm starting to feel the headache that should have came hours ago." The older woman groused, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Would you like to take something?"

"No," she simply muttered, dropping her hand back into Emma's hair as she began to absently stroke it.

The blonde hummed happily and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations around her. The feel of Regina's fingers combing calmly through her hair. The sound of her heart thumping against her hear. The gentle rise and fall of her chest with each breath. The scent of her spicy perfume and the sweet smell of her apple shampoo.

It was all so calming for Emma as she lay there for some time, just letting it all take over. She didn't know how long it had been as she lay there, gently stroking Regina's stomach long after the older woman had stopped combing her hair. That hand had slid to the small of her back now and rested there, warm and comforting.

Emma hummed sleepily. She could feel herself drift off. Her strokes slowing down. She was  _exhausted_.

"Your belly rubbing is slowing, dear." Regina seemed to inform her, voice laced with drowsiness. "Are you getting tired?"

"Yeah," the blonde simply answered, more consciously aware of her actions as she continued, her fingers tugging up the silk pajama top to expose Regina's smooth, tawny stomach. An absent smile crossed her lips as she and her fingers over the immaculate skin.

"Hey, remember when we were talking about babies? And I asked if you ever wanted to get pregnant?"

"Indeed I do, dear."

Emma must have been more tired than she thought as she found herself rambling off about that morning. She didn't know why she was speaking of this now, but the conversation seemed to intrigue the both of them.

"I bet you'd look adorable with a round belly." She commented, looking over at Regina from her new spot beside her. "Scratch that. I  _know_  you would."

"Oh, is that so?" A grin quirked on the older woman's lips.

"I would love to have babies with you some day." Emma found herself mumbling, her eyes growing droopy. "You know when I said I wanted to find the special woman for that? Yeah… I meant you, because… I really, really like you."

 _Shut up, Swan, before you speak too much_.

"A part of me was hoping you would say that." Regina's response surprised the blonde.

"Really?"

"Yes," was all she had said before falling silent, her cheeks darkening.

"I think that would be cool." Emma stretched slightly and yawned, sinking into the bed. "I think I'd like a son."

"A son?" Regina chuckled softly, turning her gaze on the blonde.

"Yeah. I think it would be fun to raise a messy little boy."

"Oh, what would I do with the two of you?" The older woman smirked. "You'd mess up my house and I'd be constantly running after you with a mop."

"Yeah, but it'd all be worth it in the end, right? We'd all be sitting on the couch, snuggling, as we watched a good Disney film." Emma gently prodded her girlfriend's side. "And it's be our family. A loving family."

"I think we both deserve a good family." Regina nodded, a yawn slipping from her own lips.

"A family…" Emma whispered in the dark, a smile brighter than the sun itself on her face.

She had always wanted a family of her own. One that would be stable. One that she would actually be a part of. She would be able to love and be loved.

A family with Regina?

What was she thinking?

She was too hopeful, that's what.

Emma felt the older woman snuggle against her and soft lips pressing against her neck.

"Goodnight," a voice whispered to her.

A voice that would always send her heart soaring.

"Goodnight," she murmured back.

She could definitely see this happening ten years from now. They would be lying in bed together, falling asleep in each other's loving arms as their son or daughter slept in the room next to them. Or slept with them, between then, wiggling as they would struggle and snuggle between their mothers.

Was she setting herself for heartbreak by hoping for the future?

Emma could tell this was going to be a long, worrisome night. She wouldn't be able to sleep with those thoughts on her mind. She poked her head up, careful not to disturb Regina as she did so. The woman was already fast asleep, a gentle snore emanating from her.

Bless her little heart, Emma thought with a smile. That woman was precious, even as she slept. She had to keep the giggle in her throat as she gazed at the numbers on the digital clock.

_5:45 A.M._

A long night just turned into a long morning.

* * *

"You have to get up, Emma. I'm not kidding." Regina was standing at the side of the bed, already dressed for the day, wearing one of her black skirts and a deep red blouse.

It was  _7:45_  in the morning and school was starting back up today. The alarm had rang at seven, which was when Regina had gotten up and tried to wake the teenager up as well. When she had groaned and flipped back over to fall back asleep, the older woman had grudgingly obliged to give her more time to sleep as she took a shower.

Then she came back out about fifteen minutes later to try and wake her up again.

Emma still hadn't budged by then, pleading for a few more minutes.

So Regina walked off to finish with her daily preparations for the day, drying her hair and putting her face on.

When she was finished another fifteen minutes later, Emma was still asleep, begging for another fifteen.

"Fine, then, I will make us some breakfast. You better be ready to get up by then." Regina had said before going downstairs to fix up breakfast for the two.

And now, here she was again, another fifteen minutes later.

"Just gimme another fifteen…" Emma slurred sleepily, tossing onto her side away from Regina.

"Don't make me get the cold water."

"I'll still sleep. You can't make me go to school." The blonde remained unbothered as she began to snore, falling back asleep.

"Emma Swan!" Regina huffed and smacked the blonde's rear end. The blonde squeaked and jerked her body forward, a hand moving to her bum to rub it.

"Kinky." She murmured and went back to her resting position, her breathing evening out once again.

"Goddammit, Emma. I need to get things prepared." The brunette huffed and climbed onto the bed. "If you won't get up, I will  _make_  you."

"Nothing in the world will get me up for school." Emma ignored the weight shift on the mattress and flopped onto her other side. Regina was getting onto the bed from her side. It was always best to face away.

Then she wouldn't feel  _too_  guilty.

It was a hand between her thighs that had her green eyes bolt open. Her entire body went rigid as that hand teased the intimate flesh through thin cotton panties. She was instantly wet and aching for more.

Oh, she was  _good_.

She knew what Regina was doing and she wouldn't fall for it. No way in hell. Nope. Not a chance.

Emma lie as relaxed as she could, pretending to not enjoy the fingers pressing so deliciously against her throbbing flesh, rubbing at her nether lips through cotton at an insatiable pace.

She couldn't help but to moan, and once she did, she knew she was screwed.

 _Fuck_ , she cursed internally, her hips rocking against the hand that pleasured her. She already lost her composure, might as well just let it take over her.

Then Regina stopped and pulled her hand away.

"Hey…" Emma craned her neck to be met with a devious smirk on red painted lips.

"If you promise to get up, I will continue." She winked, the impish look on her face never faltering. "But you  _have_  to get up. School starts at 8:30. We have about a half hour."

"I-I promise." The blonde breathed, her heart pounding rapidly against her chest.

"Mm, good girl." Regina grinned and moved to hover over the blonde, one hand on the opposite side of her as she balanced over the blonde's face. She pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I am your good girl." Emma purred, closing her eyes blissfully as she turned onto her back.

Regina was on her faster than she could utter her name, her legs straddling her hips as she wore a smirk. Her black skirt was bunched up around her waist, her blouse unbuttoned enough to flash her lacy black bra.

"You're looking sexy as hell today." Emma smoothed her hands up the brunette's sides, rejoicing in the shiver that she earned.

"You always think I'm sexy. I could be wearing footed pajamas and bunny slippers and you'd still think I'm sexy."

"Because you're just all around sexy," the blonde growled, hands roaming over the silky fabric on her back before shifting towards the front to cup the mounds on her chest.

Regina let out a delicious moan and arched into the touch, her hands finding purchase on the blonde's creamy thighs. "So are you, my love."

Her eyes darkened, turning obsidian in color. Emma swallowed thickly as moisture pooled between her thighs, her lower belly burning with need. She thrusts her hips up, bumping into her lover's own needful heat who in return as ground herself down against her with a soft moan.

"Please…" Emma gave Regina's breasts a squeeze, pressing her hips up against the brunette again.

"Only since we are limited on time…" The teacher gave her a wicked grin as she peeled the blonde's panties from her intimate flesh and tugged them off. She lifted herself up, pulling her own panties off before resting in her previous position, her slick flesh coming into contact with Emma's triangular patch intimate curls.

"Have your way with me, Ms. Mills…" Emma grinned up at the woman who had gazed at her with lust laden eyes.

That was a thing Emma knew turned the brunette on. They had role-played before with her, of course being the student, as Regina was the teacher. Of course, they didn't have much pretending since that had been the reality of their relationship, though not in the bedroom. But once Emma had jokingly called Regina "Ms. Mills" one time while they were in bed together, she had groan quite aroused and nearly attacked the blonde.

And so that had started a whole new thing for the two of them. If there was one way to get Regina horny in under five seconds it was to call her "Ms. Mills." Of course, only coming from her and in the privacy of the mansion. Though, Emma had wondered what it would do to Regina if they were in school and she had addressed her…

Her thoughts were immediately torn away from her as she felt lithe fingers pressing against her clitoris, stroking it in rough, circular motions. The blonde moaned, her mind blanking as she rocked against Regina's hand, yearning for more contact.

She thrust her hips upward, groaning at the sensation of her lover's wetness against her hot skin. Regina let out a guttural moan, grinding herself into the blonde as her fingers continued to work.

" _Oh, God, Gina…_ " Emma breathed into the air, the words after that dying in her throat when Regina had added more pressure to the sensitive nub, her strokes faster and quicker.

"Touch me, Emma!" The older woman begged, her head thrown back in ecstasy as she rocked her hips against the blonde's body, a hand on her own breast.

Emma quickly obliged, the hand left on one of the brunette's breasts had pushed the fabric of her bra aside to find her swollen breast. Her other hand went straight for the brunette's center where she easily found Regina's already swollen clit with her fingers and began to stroke in time with the brunette's pace.

The two of them were a moan, groaning mass of sweaty bodies, rocking against each other as they both sought pleasure. Emma teased the brunette's hardened nipples with nimble fingers, tugging and rubbing at them as the teacher moaned blissfully above her, her strokes growing quicker until she slide those fingers down and slid them knuckle-deep into the blonde.

"Regina!" Emma cried with surprise, her hips lifting thoughtfully as she moved wantonly against the pumps. Her own movements were frantic, as if she were pleasuring herself to climax.

And it wasn't long before it paid off, for her at least. She felt her body stiffen, tingling entirely from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes as she rode out the waves of pleasure crashing over her. Regina hadn't relented, her hips rocking desperately against Emma's vigorously working fingers as she helped the teenager ride out her orgasm with contempt, her fingers working at the little pink nub which had ultimately heightened her climax.

The blonde screamed her pleasure, her fingers digging into Regina's breast, painfully by the expression on her face. But that appeared to have been enough to top the brunette, herself, over the edge.

"Emma!" She cried blissfully into the sex filled air, her rocking hips slowing to a stop when her entire body had tensed just as the blonde's had moments earlier.

The fingers that had once pleasured Emma had slowly incredibly, bringing the blonde down from her exhilarating high. Regina's body had jerked with spasms before she had relaxed, her breathing ragged as sweat glistened on her forehead, ultimately ruining her makeup.

Emma held the teacher after they had removed their hands from each other, and held onto her. The two of them lay together, both trying to catch their breaths as their hearts thumped against their chests in the otherwise quiet room.

"Best morning sex ever…" Emma whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of the brunette's raven hair, a hand absently rubbing her back.

"I must concur, my love." The brunette picked herself up, hovering over the blonde as she stared adoringly into her eyes. "My beautiful duckling."

"Oh… pft…" She blushed as the brunette stroked her cheek with gentle fingers.

The same fingers that had just brought her to one of the best climaxes in her life.

"Mm, I love you." Regina whispered, bending down to press a sweet kiss to Emma's lips.

The blonde eagerly returned it, fingers sliding through her lover's hair. "I love you, too."

They stay like that for a few moments, staring into each other's eyes with sated smiles on their faces. It wasn't until Regina had glanced towards the clock did she panic and slide off the bed.

"You need to get ready. I need to fix myself up. And we need to eat." The brunette plucked her panties from the ground and headed towards the bathroom as Emma collected herself. She sat in bed for a few moments longer, trying to grab the pieces to her scattered brain and put them back together.

She was still disoriented from that amazing morning lovemaking.

Holy shit.

That was the best way to start off a school day.

The blonde grinned widely to herself as she got up and quickly gathered her things to get ready. It wasn't until another ten minutes later were the two of them in the kitchen. It was twenty minutes past eight and they needed to get the hell out of there. They had ten minutes before school started and Emma still didn't have her schedule.

She supposed that it was lucky they had their homeroom first.

But she felt rather guilty for keeping Regina. She wouldn't doubt the teacher would have been out of here an hour ago. Instead, she had been caught up in trying to wake the sleeping teenager and bribe her with sex to get her up.

"I'm sorry," Emma mumbled, stuffing the piece of peanut butter toast in her mouth as they exited the house.

"For what, dear?"

"For making you wait… for making you late." She gave her girlfriend a sheepish smile as they piled into the car, Emma's backpack on her lap.

"It's quite alright, dear. It was well worth it." Regina grinned widely. "I was coming down with a headache, but that damned orgasm sure took care of it."

"Good," the blonde smirked and leaned over to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "Now, let's go or else we'll be late."

"That wouldn't be a good thing, considering I'm a teacher." Regina nodded and pulled out of the driveway, driving the few blocks to the school.

Once they had arrived, the two of them popped out of the car and headed towards the building.

"I'll see you later, dear. Do have a good day." Regina smiled as they passed the English hallway.

"Thanks! You too." Emma smiled, trying to keep herself from saying too much to the teacher. There were people around now and she couldn't freely call the woman by her name or any nickname she had for her.

It royally sucked.

But that's what she got for having such a forbidden relationship.

With a sigh, she returned the grin that Regina had flashed to her and headed to Ms. Nova's room. She already knew what she was supposed to have on her schedule, for the most part. And what she did know didn't make her happy. She wouldn't be having Regina as a teacher again.

That thought had sent her heart sinking. She wasn't quite sure what other classes Regina offered and she knew that she should have asked. Perhaps there was one that she hadn't taken before. Perhaps a Creative Writing II class?

The blonde shrugged mentally and took her seat in her homeroom. There wasn't much time left until the bell rang.

They really cut it close today, didn't they?

"Hey, Swan! There you are." Killian's voice immediately broke her attention away from her thoughts. She turned to look at the teenaged boy, a smile on his lips.

"Hey," she greeted in return.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Around."

"Around? What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I got here late." She rolled her eyes as he took the empty seat next to her.

Ms. Nova sauntered over, handing the blonde a piece of paper. Her schedule.

"How was your winter break, Emma?" She asked politely, a pleasant smile on her face.

Emma returned it. "It was pretty good. How was yours?"

"Wonderful!" She chirped and headed towards her desk with a smile that could beat the sun.

Something had certainly made her happy during the break.

Perhaps it was that Leroy she occasionally saw walking with Ms. Nova when they were about on the town.

Good for her. She got laid.

So did Emma. Several times.

"What do you have?"

"Why are you nosy?" Emma sneered and looked over her schedule.

"Just curious…" He pouted petulantly before whipping his own schedule out to set beside the blonde's.

Emma immediately compared them. She knew that he would have some of the same classes as she, no doubt. He always did.

"I have Art II first period." She grinned snidely, knowing that Killian wouldn't have an art class. He groaned negatively at that.

"What else?"

"I have American Literature after that."

"With who?" He suddenly looked curious, though the paper was right in front of him.

"Mrs. Hurst," Emma answered, flinching when he gave a noise that almost resembled a happy squeak. She would have laughed, but she was exhausted.

"I have that, too. Second period, American Lit., Mrs. Hurst." He pointed to his own schedule as if to prove a point. She looked at it and rolled her eyes.

She should have never let him near her when they did their schedules.

"Then I have Economics with Mr. Locksley."

"I have that." Killian smirked. "Third period."

"I'm sure Belle does, too." She lifted her gaze. It was no doubt. She had Government with her friend last semester and the economics classes were few and far between. It would be a surprise if they didn't have it together.

"Then I have lunch."

"Aw…" He groaned. "I have it fifth."

"Sucks," she grinned. It wasn't like it mattered. They had the same lunch last semester and he hadn't seemed to make an effort to dine with her. Unless he had, but she wouldn't have known. She was either isolated for the first couple months until she started to eat with Ms. Mills.

"And then I've got another P.E. class. Aerobics, this time."

"Aerobics? Sounds like it's for girls." Killian snorted and looked over his schedule, a flicker of disappointment on his face as he found to not have the same class as she.

Emma had already scanned over his schedule. They had Algebra II together again, but that also left half the day without him.

Though, she didn't know if she cared so much anymore. He knew that she was gay and dating Ms. Mills, though how awkward that was. She was glad he hadn't teased her about it.

But then again, the threat she had given him would have sufficed. Later she had said she would rip off his testicles and feed them to him if he were to utter one word about the teacher and her.

"I heard there was running, so I took it." She grinned, looking over her schedule again. "Then I have some introduction class to computers. I think it was just some filler, I don't know…"

"You should take Creative Writing II." He nodded, a grin on his face. No. It was a  _smirk_.

"They… They really have that?" Emma looked at him, then to his schedule to see that he had, in fact, that class sixth period. And with Ms. Mills.

"I need to visit Mr. Hopper." She muttered.

"So you can have a class with your  _girlfriend?_ "

"Shut up, Killian." Emma turned a glare on him. "I will keep up with my threat. I've got a pocket knife somewhere."

The blood drained from his face at her words and he nodded stiffly. "Sorry. I won't say anything."

"And you better not be checking her out or anything." Emma gave him a hard stare. "Because I  _will_  cut you."

"Alright! Alright!" He raised his hands in the air as if to surrender. "I won't. You'll be in there, anyways, if you change your schedule."

"I'll only dream of it." The blonde sighed and stuffed the paper into her backpack. Green eyes glanced towards the clock. They didn't have much time left in homeroom. Two minutes about.

Emma pulled out her phone, bringing up the smiley faces that represented Regina.

_Hey, Gina. When do you have lunch?_

She hoped to god that Regina had fourth period lunch as well. If she didn't she was utterly fucked.

What would she do for lunch?

Could she go in there fourth period if not?

Perhaps she could just pretend she would be a part of that class. But, of course, she would have to talk to Regina about that. She had nowhere to go during lunch, especially not fourth. Belle would more than likely have it fifth again, and Killian had it fifth as well, so that meant no one for her. She hated everyone else in this school.

The bell rang and she stood.

"See you second period." Killian smirked, walking out the door as she had.

"Yeah… See you."

The blonde quickly made her way down the hallways until she had reached the art room, relieved to find that her brunette friend was already there. She quickly occupied the seat next to hers.

"Please tell me you have fourth period lunch."

"No, I'm sorry?" Belle frowned at the greeting, a puzzled look on her face.

"Damn." Emma slumped against her seat, wanting suddenly to beat herself in the face with a large textbook. God knows those things are large enough.

"Does Ms. Mills not have lunch fourth?"

"I don't know." The blonde shrugged, her hand hovering over her pocket where her phone resided. Regina hadn't texted her back yet. Her phone hadn't vibrated.

"Sorry, Em." Belle gave her a helpless look before setting her messenger bag on the table. She dug through it, soon retrieving a piece of paper. Her schedule. "What classes do you have?"

"Art, American Lit., Economics, Lunch, P.E., Intro to computers, and Algebra." Emma recited her schedule as she, too, had pulled it from her bag. "All in that order."

Belle peeked over at her friend's schedule and smiled. "I have Economics the same period you do. I took American Lit. last year, though. It was pretty easy." She smoothed her schedule down on the table and Emma looked over it.

She paused once she reached her sixth period class.

"You're taking the second creative writing, too?" Emma groaned with distress.

"What do you mean, 'too?'"

"Killian's taking it, also." The blonde looked at her, frowning.

Was everyone and their dog taking it except for her? What the hell was that? How come she was the last to know?

"I take it you want that class?"

"Yeah." More like  _fuck yeah, my hot ass girlfriend teaches it_.

"Sounds like someone needs to visit Mr. Hopper." Belle quirked a brow at Emma's pained expression.

"I really do. I need to get this shit changed."

"Do it during lunch, then." The brunette shrugged, slipping her schedule back into her bag as the class had started.

"Planning on it if I have nothing else to do." Emma sighed and did the same with her schedule. Was she ever hoping that Regina would come back with a positive message. She didn't want to not have lunch with her. That was their thing. She enjoyed talking with Regina during that hour and if that was going to be obliterated, what the hell was the point in coming to school?

Alright, that was a stupid question. There were plenty reasons why she should go to school, one including Regina kicking her ass. But it would be a goddamn depressing day with the knowledge of not being able to spend an hour with Regina, alone, in the middle of the day.

First period was over in a synch. It had mattered anyways. They did absolutely nothing. It was the syllabus and classroom/school rules like they always had. She never understood why they had to spend  _days_  talking about stuff they had already covered the previous semester.

Well, at least they didn't have to do anything. That was the bright side to it, at least for actual classes like Algebra or Economics.

Or American Literature.

It was a boring 55 minutes of sitting there, staring at the screen as the teacher had played a slideshow of classroom etiquette. Emma was pretty sure that she had got it down by down. After spending four years of hearing the same rules, she was pretty sure she could sum them all up quite easily.

No cellphones. No food or drink, except water, most of the time. Do your work. Pay attention. Respect your teacher and peers. Have a pencil. Have paper.

Have this, don't do that. It was all the same and frankly it was annoying.

She could say she appreciated the classes that at least spiced it up by either jumping into something, or filling out a personal survey. Sometimes they did little things to get to know one another.

"Turn to your partner, tell them your name and one thing about yourself." Or something of the ilk.

It was at least more exciting than sitting in the room for 55 minutes, listening to a teacher drone on about missing their class and where to pick up the make-up work.

Yes, yes, Emma got it. Don't be tardy. Don't stick gum underneath the desks. Don't ram your foot up the teacher's ass nor punch them in the throat.

"This is  _so_  boring." Killian whispered beside her, halfway through the period.

"Hush!" Mrs. Hurst immediately quieted him. "I will send you to the office."

Oh, well, that was nice. She was one of those teachers that didn't allow the students to talk. Though, she could understand while they were going through rules and such, but still. Killian was right. It was boring as hell.

By the time the bell rang, Emma could have been sleeping on her feet. Her little wake-up bribe this morning had worn her out, miraculously. She figured she'd be walking on a goddamn cloud after that. But, apparently not and now she felt as if she'd run into something at any given point.

And now she had to climb  _stairs_.

That should be illegal.

Emma huffed and reached the top of the stairs before moving towards the Economics classroom. It was nice, she had two of her friends in the class with her. Hopefully Mr. Locksley wouldn't be one of those teachers that would hush the hell out of them.

"And she made it!" Emma huffed at Killian. How on earth he had beat her here, she would never know. He was accompanied by Belle, who wore a smile as she giggled at his comment.

"I was here before everyone else." She patted the seat next to her. "I saved you a seat."

"Thanks." Emma sighed and slipped into the seat next to her brunette friend. Hopefully there wasn't a seating chart in here. She wouldn't know how she'd go on without sitting next to her friend to rant.

"How was your second period?" Belle asked kindly, eyes on her blonde friend.

"I had  _him_. How do you think?" Emma jerked a thumb at Killian who wore a charming smile.

"It was the most fantastic period ever?" The brunette joked, deflating Killian's ego.

"Oh, definitely." Emma let the sarcasm just saturate her words.

The blonde sighed after a moment of giggling with the two of them, sitting back in her seat with a yawn. "I really wish this day would be over with."

"Me too." Belle nodded. "I really wish school wouldn't have started up so soon."

"Ditto." Killian commented beside them. "Why did they think it was a good idea to start it the day after New Year's? Are they stupid?"

"I believe they are." Emma nodded in agreement. They really were. They didn't give them enough time off. How if someone were visiting relatives thousands of miles away and wanted to stay for a bit after the new year had started?

They were fucked. Royally. With. A. Cactus.

The bell rang before Killian could jeer his next comment and Mr. Locksley stood in the front of the room, a remote in hand.

"I would like to inform you that there is, indeed, a seating chart."

And then it slowly faded onto the screen, leaving the trio to sigh.

"You have got to be kidding me." Emma muttered under her breath.

"We need Ms. Mills to work with us, you know. No seating charts." Belle gave her blonde friend a wink and Emma knew what that meant.

She chuckled. Regina probably wouldn't mind if she had insisted they needn't a seating chart, or at least have the three of them next to each other if there was one.

She couldn't survive a class without a friend in it, no matter how annoying they might be.

"I'll see what I can do." Emma nudged her before standing to move to her new seat as a student came to claim the one she was currently in.

The blonde huffed, walking across the room to her new seat at the front of the classroom. Right there. Of course.

She looked over the seating chart and was soon deflated. Belle was somewhere across the room and Killian away from the two of them. It was as if he knew or something.

"Dammit," she huffed and sat back in her desk. Another boring hour to stare at a screen full of rules.

The bell rang fifty minutes later and Emma couldn't get out of there fast enough. She flew down the stairs and straight to the foyer so she could find a spot to stop and check her phone. It was fourth period. Lunchtime.

She hoped Regina had messaged her back. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to what was going on in her pants, though she should be more aware.

Slipping the phone out of her pocket, she checked to see that she  _did_  have a new message from her smiley faced sender.

 _I have it fifth, like last semester_.

Oh, great. She was screwed, blued, and tattooed.

Heaving a heavy sigh, the blonde marched herself off to the counselor's office. She might as well get her schedule changed, then, seeing as to how she didn't have anywhere else to go. Emma slowly made her way down the hallway until she had reached the office off to the side.

"Emma! What can I do for you?" Mr. Hopper had immediately greeted, popping from his office. He offered her a friendly smile and she returned it.

"I would like to change my schedule."

"Oh, alright. What seems to be the problem?"

"I want to drop a class for another." Emma shrugged her bag from her shoulder and looked through it until she found her schedule tucked between two notebooks.

"Why don't you come with me?" Mr. Hopper had kindly led her to his office, showing her the chair in front of his desk before he moved behind it. He tapped at his computer as she slid the schedule across the desk.

"I would like to change my sixth period, the introduction to computers. Can I switch it for Creative Writing II?" Emma nibbled on her lower lip, watching as he nodded slightly and typed some more.

It would be just her luck if the class was full.

"There seems to be a spot open." He smiled and Emma nearly cried.

"Can I have it?"

"Of course!"

At that moment, the blonde wanted to stand up and dance like she hadn't danced before. She had turned lucky enough to get a damned spot in Regina's class. Hopefully it would be able to slide into her sixth period without screwing up her schedule, though she wouldn't mind a little screwed up schedule if that had meant changing her lunch.

"Alright, I reserved it for you." He smiled and turned to shuffle around with a few folders. Then he pulled out a pink slip of paper.

Emma stared at it.

"I need your parents' signature on this. It's a school policy."

Emma's heart sank. How on earth was she going to get that signed? Mary Margaret hadn't even bothered to contact her, nor had David. They obviously weren't worried about where she was.

The blonde sighed, but nodded and accepted the paper. She folded it up with her schedule and slipped it back into her bag.

"How if that spot gets taken?"

"Like I had said, I reserved it for you so I know not to give it away." He gave her a kind smile. Sometimes he was just  _too_  nice and it screwed with the blonde's brain.

Emma nodded. "So, all I gotta do is get my foster mom to sign this?"

"That and fill out your request, though I already know what you want to do. Just to keep it on record, though." He nodded.

"Alright." Emma stood. She was double, royally screwed.

She would have to somehow forge Mary Margaret's signature on this thing.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, Emma. Have a good day!"

"You too." She called behind her as she floated back into the hallway. Unfortunately, that had only taken ten minutes. She still had a while fifty minutes to kill before fifth period started.

She could always drop by Ms. Mills' room. But would that be inappropriate?

Probably.

She might as well just wait it out and talk to her about that later tonight. Emma pulled out a pair of headphones from her pocket and brought her phone out as well. She might as well sit out here in the foyer and wait until the bell rang.

There was nothing else to do but wait and think. Maybe she could practice forging her foster mother's signature. She knew what it looked like by now and, if she tried hard enough, she could practically replicate it.

"Stupid fucking school," she growled under her breath, sticking the earbuds into her ears, letting the music flow into her ears.

_Get psycho, I wanna get psycho_

_Get psycho, I wanna wanna wanna wanna,_

_I wanna get psycho_

_Run you little bitch_

_I want your power glowing, juicy flowing, red hot, meaning of life_

_It's not enough to have a little taste_

_I want the whole damn thing now_

_Can you dig it?_


	23. Testing Waters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I do apologize for this chapter being so late! No! I haven't given up on writing this fic. I've ran into so many problems it was horrible.
> 
> The main reason why it's so late is because my computer broke. It did this thing and it has a black screen. I don't know how to fix it (after trying every possible solution) and I currently do not have any money to get it fixed. I had a big chunk of this chapter actually written out on it, but when all that happened, I ended up losing my progress. I'm not necessarily smart when it comes to backing up my files often, and I know I should have done that in this sort of event.
> 
> But aside from my utter stupidity, I had been able to find a way to get this chapter up and ready for those of you still following! I appreciate your patience, dears, and I am very thankful for all of your lovely reviews and concerned messages. This chapter would not be possible if not for my step-sister, who so kindly let me borrow her laptop while she was out of town. Without that, I wouldn't have been able to write this chapter up. (I had tried doing it on my phone but that hadn't worked so well and wouldn't open anything up).
> 
> With that being said, I would like to thank you all very much for reading and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter! Please, leave a review and tell me what you think. I very much appreciate it, and I hope that you have a fantabulous day!

"Emma!" The brunette teacher blinked with surprise as Emma had found herself inside the English classroom during the second half of fourth period.

It was English III as Emma had noticed when she glanced to the slideshow that glowed in the otherwise darkened classroom. She was late to the class- the one that wasn't exactly on her schedule- it being about halfway through the period. It was getting rather boring just sitting in the desolate foyer by herself with nothing to do. She had long finished forging her foster mother's signature onto the schedule-change slip.

It was rather stupid that there had to be a parent's signature on that thing. She was a legal adult, but it was whatever floated Mr. Hopper's goat. She wasn't about to argue with whatever illogical thing they had going on. It would only stir up more drama and probably a phone call to Mary Margaret.

"I'm sorry that I'm late. I got caught up in the counselor's office." Emma gave Regina a sheepish smile as she handed over her schedule. "I thought your class was so fun, that I decided to become a teacher's aide." She smiled cheekily and Ms. Mills just shook her head, giving her a disbelieving look.

"I've got a pass," she lied, handing over a plain, white sheet of paper that held a note for the English teacher to read over.

In the note, Emma had explained in short of her dilemma, hoping to pose as a teacher's aid for whatever class this was going to be. She had begged for Ms. Mills to let her stay in the classroom for the rest of the period and that she would explain everything else in detail after class ended.

Emma stood there and watched as the brunette quickly read over the scrawled words on the paper. The blonde bit her lower lip when mocha eyes narrowed.

"Have a seat." Regina nodded, her lips twitching as she tried to muffle the smile itching to break out.

The blonde grinned and retrieved her schedule from the brunette before turning towards the classroom. Her jaw nearly hit the floor as she noticed the room to be rather full. There was only one seat left available, which was of her luck.

Quietly, Emma made her way over to the empty desk, which was coincidentally placed in front of Regina's desk. Once she had settled into the desk, she glanced around the room once again. Since it was English III, the students in this classroom were all a grade below her. And that being said, she didn't know any of them. It wasn't like she would mind, anyways. She wouldn't care to associate herself with any of them.

Emma watched as the teacher headed back to the front of the room, her huskily voice filling the otherwise quiet space and all of the blonde's immediate senses. It made her feel warm.

Green eyes sated over the older woman's physique. She still wore the black skirt and red blouse that Emma had woken to that morning. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of said attire askew as they had made love.

The way that her skirt had been bunched at her waist, showing off the soft, olive skin on her taut, muscular thighs. Or the way that her shirt had been unbuttoned to show off her lacy bra and the exposed breast that Emma had managed to pull out in haste to pleasure her.

Emma shifted uncomfortably in her desk, sinking incredibly low in the chair as her womanhood had started to ache with need.

Oh, god, why was she doing this to herself? The two of them were closer than ever now and here she was, sitting in a class that wasn't even her own just to have that woman close. And as a teacher's aid at that, whatever the hell they were supposed to do.

Emma nearly groaned to herself at that thought and pressed her legs tightly together. Perhaps she shouldn't do this. Why did she even come in here in the first place? She was only teasing herself, really. And if she were to get into the Creative Writing II class, what was the point of coming in here fourth period?

Regina and she wouldn't be able to do anything together. It wouldn't be like their usual lunch where they would be alone, just the two of them to talk about whatever they wished. No. They would forever be apart in here. She would be so close, yet so far away and that was something she couldn't live through for two whole hours of the day.

And what about lunch? Neither of them would be able to eat anything. The blonde crinkled her nose at the mention of food. Her stomach was gnawing with hunger already. They hadn't really gotten much for breakfast this morning and she was quite hungry.

Maybe she could make use of her open lunch and go to Granny's to get something to eat, or perhaps she could go back to Regina's to make something. Hell, she could even bring something back for the brunette if need be.

Whatever that may be, it would sure as hell beat sitting here for an hour- and a torturous one at that- watching Regina walk around the room with her seductive attitude and incredible assets.

Emma was quickly ripped from her thoughts when the door opened, light from the hallway pooling into the room and covering said teacher. The blonde watched the scene in front of her as Ms. Mills, once again, left her post to greet the newest arrival. From what it appeared, it seemed to be another student.

A short, shy-looking redhead with a meek smile and thick-rimmed glasses.

Emma would immediately flag her as a teacher's pet if she didn't know any better.

_Sorry, Ms. Teacher's Pet, but this one's mine._

"Emma, if you could so kindly give Ariel that desk, it would be much appreciated." Regina smiled towards the blonde who had stared right back at her.

"Where am I suppose to sit, then?" Emma squawked rebelliously, but the brunette cast her a look that could kill and nearly had the blonde on the floor.

"You can sit in my desk if you wish." Regina gave the younger woman a heated glare as she had nearly been laying on the floor after squirming so far down in her seat.

Emma's entire face had turned red and she nodded, sliding back up in the desk before gathering her things to move to the teacher's desk.

She slunk down into the comfortable rolling chair, subconsciously grabbing the paper cup off the corner of the larger desk as the redheaded student made her way to occupy the desk she had bailed from. Emma played with the cup, blinking for a moment after realizing that Regina had coffee. The brunette must have gotten if from the teacher's lounge. She could distinctly remember her not making any stops on their way to school this morning, nor did she have enough time to make any at the house this morning.

With her eyes on the brunette to make sure she wasn't watching, Emma took a sip of the lukewarm liquid. It was plain, with sugar and cream. No cinnamon was added this time.

Then she paused when one of the students had caught her, or more so stared at her with an infallible expression.

The cup was still against her lips as she froze in the position, green eyes locked with skyblue.

Slowly, she brought the cup back down and set it back on the desk just before that student erupted in a tattle.

"Ms. Mills, she was drinking your coffee."

The brunette's attention snapped to the blonde and she flushed with embarrassment, her cheeks aflame.

" _Emma_ ," Ms. Mills stressed her name, an annoyed look on her face.  
Emma bit back a snarky smirk. She knew how annoyed Regina got when she stole a sip or two of her coffee. Who wouldn't really? It was coffee after all. The liquid life force of the two.

"Habit. Sorry…" Emma shrank against the office chair when thirty pairs of eyes fell on her.  
The blonde's own orbs fell on the class, half of which looked as if they expected bloodshed of some sort. Emma gave an internal grin, and a rather snidey one at that.

What they didn't know was that their relationship was more than that of a teacher and a student. What they didn't know was that she and Regina stole each other's coffee quite often and that's the habit to which she was referring.

"You should be careful of your habits." Ms. Mills warned, giving her one last look before addressing the class on this semester's gameplan.

In translation, that meant Regina was going to punish her later for stealing a drink of her coffee. Emma smirked to herself. That wasn't really a bad thing. Regina's punishments were far more enjoyable than punishable.

Emma leaned back in the chair, her body easing from its mortified state as the students slowly drew their attention to the teacher. Emma's own gaze landed on the brunette, a simple smile on her face as emerald orbs roved over said teacher's body once again, lingering on her perfect face.

The scar from the car accident still remained on her forehead, a soft pink under the coat of foundation that she used in an attempt to cover it up. The bruise on her nose had been indiscernible with the powder that she had used to cover it, as well.

If one would take a step back and look at her, they would never know that she had been in an accident.

The blonde absentmindedly began to twirl around in the office chair, her eyes falling on Regina's possessions that she had kept on the desk. It was neat and organized, not exactly a surprise. Ms. Mills, after all, as known for her affinity to e neat. And, boy, did Emma ever know that.  
er house was absolutely spotless, and she would chew the blonde's head off just for leaving her shoes by the door.

Picky woman.

Emma wrinkled her nose fondly at the brunette, who had made eye contact with her in just that moment.

And she smiled, sweet and heart-warming. Emma had no doubt that she could melt as she had every time she saw that woman smile.

It was beautiful.

 _She_  was beautiful.

"And with that," the teacher announced to the class, breaking contact. "I will have Emma pass out your assignment. Its short and only deals with the vocabulary for this upcoming chapter. You may use your books."

Regina gracefully made her way to the back of the room where the blonde waited with wide eyes. She had started to frantically search through the stacks of papers on the desk for said assignment, almost immediately regretting her decision to act as a teacher's aid.

"They're right here, dear." Ms. Mills' lips quirked as she pointed to a particular stack that Emma had glossed over.

"I know that…" The blonde muttered, quickly retrieving the papers so she could pass them out to the awaiting class.

How the hell did she get stuck in this position again?

Emma quickly headed to the first row by the door and counted out the students, then did the same with the papers and handed them to the first person. This was something she didn't want to do. This was the reason why she didn't want to become a teacher. She didn't want to have to deal with any of this. Though, in her current position, there wasn't much to deal with.

Finishing up with the last row, Emma headed back to Ms. Mills' desk to take her spot, only, it was occupied by the woman herself.

"Must I sit on you?" Emma slapped the extra papers on her desk, drawing the teacher's attention to her. She smiled wryly.

"I apologize to inform you that I am, in fact, a human being and not a chair."

"Smart ass," Emma found herself replying before she could stop the words from spilling out of her mouth.

But instead of screaming at her about using such profane language, Regina smirked and snarked right back.

"Better than being a dumb one."

The students in the class, who had apparently been eavesdropping on the conversation, suddenly erupted with laughter at the comment. It wasn't until then did the blonde realize they had been holding their breaths in silence as they had awaited the their teacher's reply just as she had.

"Touche." Emma winked at her, thanking whatever higher deity that her back was to the class. "Seriously though, where do you want me to sit, Ms. I'm-Not-A-Chair-Mills?"

"If you are finished trying to come up with a witty quip, I can snag an extra chair for you tomorrow. At best, for now, you can sit on the floor."

"The floor?" Emma squawked. She narrowed her eyes at the brunette, an expression that told her shew as going to pay later.

"Or stand. Whatever suits you." Regina smirked impishly.

Emma grumbled something under her breath and moved to the wall behind Regina, her eyes immediately dalling on the little piece of art that she had given her towards the beginning of the year. It was still tacked beside the calendar, standing stark proud on the otherwise barren wall.

The blonde absently smiled to herself and pulled her phone out.

_You're going to pay for that comment later._

She messaged the brunette and turned around just in time to see Regina's phone light up. Ms. Mills grabbed the small decide to check it, immediately whirling around to stare at the blonde.

Emma gave her a mischievous smile.

Regina wrinkled her nose and turned back around with her phone still in hand.

Moments later, Emma's phone lit up to life and checked the newest message.

_**Oh, dear, don't get so hurt over it. I was only trying to help.** _

_Not my current situation, clearly._

_**There is not much time left for this class. You will live.** _

"No," Emma muttered at the brunette's last message. Regina lifted her head and turned to look at her, a soft smile on her lips. The blonde nibbled on her lower lip as she watched the brunette type at her phone.

Another message.

_**I'm sorry, Emma dear. I'll be sure to make it up to you when we return home.** _

_I'm just being a wuss. Don't worry about it._

Emma returned the smile, though the brunette hadn't been looking as she typed another message. The younger woman looked down to her phone, blinking slightly when she had read the newest text.

_**I want to kiss you.** _

A soft blush crept on her cheeks at the thought. She wanted to kiss Regina as well. In fact, if they were alone, she would be doing it right now.

_I wish we were alone._

_**Unfortunately your wish cannot be granted.** _

_You're so agonizing to be around when we aren't alone._

_**How so, dear?** _

Emma could laugh. Just looking at her was agonizing enough. She just wanted to  _touch_  her, and  _hold_  her. She wanted to  _kiss_  her and do so much more than that. She was trapped in her memories of the times that they had made love and all she could see was the bits of Regina that was hidden during class.

_I can imagine everything that I can do to you and remember all of the things that I have done. Maybe I got a little too hot earlier thinking about this morning._

Ms. Mills gasped softly, catching the blonde's attention. Emma smirked and looked down at the older woman who stared up at her with the most devious of smirks.  _Oh no_. She was thinking something up in that pretty head of hers.

_**I would ask for you to go into further detail, but class is nearing its end.** _

_Damn class…_

Emma huffed and checked the time on her phone. Sure enough, there was only a few minutes left of it. Most of the students were already packed up, eager to get on with the day. She knew how that felt. She was a senior, after all. Life before that were just days merged together, hoping for the next to come and for the current to end.

Emma pushed herself away from the wall she had been leaning against and checked the time on her phone once again. One minute left. The students were standing up now, anxiously moving as they anticipated going to the door.

"I would like to see you after class, Emma," Ms. Mills suddenly said, drawing a few of the students' attention towards the two.  
Emma blushed. She was quite sure they were suspecting she was in trouble for her earlier acts, though she knew that wasn't quite the truth. She couldn't hide the grin on her face as she walked the few steps to Regina's desk and stood there, the bell ringing.

"Regina?" Emma leaned against the brunette teacher's desk. The blonde had waited until the final of the students had filtered out to speak to the raven haired beauty.

The English teacher looked readily up at her, one of those perfectly plucked brows arching in question. "Yes?" She queried, setting her pencil down on top of the stack of syllabus papers.

"I probably won't be staying in here. You know, during this period."

"Alright?" She gazed at the blonde through expectant mocha irises, that damn brow still quirked. "Then why did you come in here today? And rather late, might I add?"

Emma puffed out the breath she hadn't known she had been holding. She pushed herself from the brunette's desk and found herself in her old desk soon enough. She sighed, "I was rather bored just sitting in the foyer. But I got to thinking over the fact of sitting in here for a period doing literally nothing but being hungry. I wanted to make up for our missing lunches but I know that won't really do much good and I changed my schedule to take your Creative Writing II class..."

"Emma, I understand. You do not need to explain yourself. Besides, I had already figured you wouldn't want to bother sitting in here for that time if we cannot talk. Frankly, I hadn't expected you to come in at all. Although, it was a pleasant surprise." Regina smiled slightly before scooting her chair towards the blonde. She reached for her hands, olive soon mixing with porcelain as she continued. "I'll give you money for lunch if you wish to grab something from Granny's."

"And I can get you something and drop it off before I go to fifth." Emma offered, the idea of it popping into her head at the mention. She felt terrible enough that the brunette would give her money to pay for her lunch, but the blonde knew she couldn't do it herself. Although, she could always walk to Regina's to make herself something, but that would still be using the brunette's resources. But by concluding this, grabbing something for Regina as well, she wouldn't feel as bad. Regina could pay her with food for walking to get her lunch.

"Oh, dear, you don't have to do that..."

"But I want to. Besides, I feel free-loaderish if I just mooch the money for food off you. It's the least I can do and I'll be there anyways." Emma simply nodded. She felt a squeeze on her hands and looked down for a moment, even though she knew the source.

When she gazed back up, she was met with a warm smile and her heart melted. Why did it always seem that Regina could do that to her? She made her feel warm and gooey on the inside like a freshly baked chocolate brownie.

Normally, thinking that type of thing would sicken her. She was never much for the sappy romance, especially when it didn't involve her. But… thinking about it now set off those little butterflies in her stomach. They danced to the rhythm of her heart, their wings fluttering at a rapid pace that tickled her insides and made her nearly want to giggle with joy. The feelings that she had so long resented and suppressed were now at their utmost peak when she was with Regina.

Emma loved that woman more than she thought she was ever capable. Love was a foreign thing to the blonde, making it seem as if she would never be able to get a taste of what it felt like. She never thought she would ever get the chance to let her feelings pour from her as they did with Regina. She never thought she'd be lucky enough to get those feelings in return and know what it had felt like to be loved.

It was something wonderful.

And she never wanted to let it go.

But that was getting off the topic on hand. The blonde internally sighed. She seemed to be doing that quite a lot lately. It appeared to be rather easy anymore. One moment she could be talking about lunch, or even thinking about it, and the next, a certain brunette teacher would be clouding her mind. Anything out in that world could always manage to bring Emma's mind right back to to Regina, she was quite certain of it. Thoughts of that woman buzzed wherever she went. Lest it be on the streets, at the school, at the library, looking at a box of cereal, being in her room...

"Emma?" Regina's quirked brow and questioning voice shook the blonde from her thoughts. "Did you hear me, or are you off in La-La Land?"

"I-I'm sorry…" The blonde sheepishly muttered, a soft pink tinting her cheeks. She could feel them buzz with heat. She had been so busy in thought about Regina, she didn't hear the woman herself speak.

"What did you say?"

"Hm, I thought so." Regina gave her a wry smile before giving her head a slight shake and repeated herself. "I said that I would very much appreciate if you would do that for me. If our mornings start out anything like they had today, we might not have enough time to even think about lunch. And this way, all I have to do is give you some money before we part, or even the previous night.

"Though today was a miss. I'll have to make us something when we return home."

And then she paused, catching herself on the slip.

Though, Emma hadn't realized what she said as she was nodding throughout the entire thing, soaking up whatever the teacher had said. She had barely noticed that Regina called her house "home."

Normally the brunette would refer to her house as, well, her house. Of course, Emma sometimes caught Regina saying "home" when referring that they would go there, but it wasn't much of a big deal. The brunette made a slip-up from time to time, and the blonde didn't mind it. She'd have done the same.

But when she said it this time, it struck at her heartstrings. The fact that they were virtually living together, though for no certain amount of time, had brought a whole new meaning to the word "home."  
Of course, Emma had considered the abode her second home for quite some time. But that was just it, it was her second home. Her main one lie with the Nolans, but now that that was broken by the off-chance of their fight, she didn't have it any longer. Regina's house had adapted to something of her own home now, though it still felt as if something had been missing.

And she knew exactly what that was and it was currently inaccessible.

"Home?" Emma found herself asking, her voice soft- a mere whisper.

Regina lifted her gaze to the blonde, a sheepish smile on her lips as she had realized that Emma had caught her slip. She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a moment before anything had come out. Her eyes sparkling with an emotion that the blonde couldn't distinguish and it left the eighteen-year-old rather curious now. What was going on through the older woman's head?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No… It's fine." Emma made sure to make her smile reassuring as she gazed back at the brunette through softened eyes. "It's perfectly fine. It's… somewhat of my home now. It has been my second home for quit some time, though I may have just popped that one up in my head. But it had been. Anywhere with you, really,is something like home.  _You_  are home."

"I am home?" Regina's visage softened incredibly as she tossed the thought in her mind.

"I always feel… You know what it feels like to be at home? Safe. Secure. Away from the bustling world outside. A place where your heart lies- or at least should. That's…" The blonde pursed her lips for a moment and swallowed. "That's how I feel when I'm with you."

Emma was embraced, drowning in a sea of spicy perfume as a part of the brunette's reaction. She was stunned, unable to respond as she sat there awkwardly, trying her best to return the hug, but her arms were trapped under Regina's. So she sat like a canned sardine and smiled against raven locks.

"Emma," she whispered softly into golden strands, the reverberation sending chills down Emma's spine. "Is that true? Do you really feel that way?"

"Why would I lie?" The blonde inquired meekly, suddenly feeling like a miniscule spot under a microscope.

"I don't know. You tell me." The brunette tilted her head slightly as she kept her gaze on the blonde in front of her.

Emma blinked slightly, eyes meeting with the older woman's for a moment before shrugging. "I wouldn't.

"So, yes, I really do feel that way about you, Regina. It's strange for me… I've never thought I would ever feel like this, but allowing you into my life- and my heart- I'm able to have knowledge of what it really feels like to love and be loved.

"And what it feels like to have a home anywhere I go, so long as I'm with you. I feel this… security when we're together, no matter where we're at. It's strange, but nice."

"Do you feel like you can face the world?" Regina whispered, her lips forming into a watery smile that told Emma she had struck a nerve.

"Yes," she nodded in response to the question.

"And that you can do  _anything?_ "

"Anything and everything." Emma smiled softly.

Regina didn't ask a third question, instead, she had brought one of her hands from the blonde's grasp and cupped an ivory cheek instead. Emma tilted her head into the gentle caress of the brunette's thumb and hummed. Her eyes drooped to half-mast as she enjoyed the tender sensation.

"Then we're on the same page." The teacher murmured softly. "I feel quite similar to how you do, Emma dear."

"You feel the same?" Emma opened her eyes, emerald orbs twinkling with the echos of her thoughts. She hadn't thought the brunette would feel the same as she had. Of course, that was the younger foster kid in her, accusing her that no one could ever love such a screwed up, broken kid. No one could ever feel like she is their everything, and she still finds it hard to believe, herself, that anyone would ever feel this way about her.

Most of all, no the person that she felt those feelings for. Regina was her everything, or so she believed. The older woman was her entire world and she couldn't imagine a day without her. It was like surviving without oxygen. Utterly impossible.

And to think that this woman felt the same as she did? Well, that as something of a dream come true. She would have never fathomed, in all of her years, that another could feel so strongly about her. But it was true and she felt an elation in her heart nothing could bring down.

"More than you'd ever think possible, Emma." Regina drew the blonde away from her thoughts, that same watery smile on her lips. "I find it so odd… so  _crazy_  that I could ever feel this way about someone. I haven't felt so strongly for another like this before. To say I've never been in love would be a lie. But to say I've never been so in love that I'd feel like my heart would get ripped out of my chest as my world came crashing down around me until I've met you, now that would be the absolute, immaculate truth."

Emma's heart seemed to still in her chest as she heard those words release from the brunette's mouth. She couldn't believe she was hearing it. She was  _actually_  hearing something that was meant to be heartfelt. Something that was meant to tell of the emotion that she had wanted to hear from Regina, and that she knew, though indirectly, from what the older woman had said to her before.

The blonde couldn't exactly believe what was being said, her heart thundering in her ears as the blood rushed to her head. Tears welled in her sparkling, forest eyes.

"Wow…" she whispered, almost inaudibly. The word that had rolled from her tongue was one that she wished she could stuff right back in her mouth. But she couldn't and the look on the brunette's face was one that of humor, instead of the hurt that would once flash through her eyes.

 _Rejection_.

It always hurt the blonde to see such pain in her lover's whisky orbs. She wished that she could take that away, to take back what had fallen from her lips to cause such a reaction. But, thankfully, her verbal diarrhea didn't cause upset this time.

Regina accepted the small slip-up and was even laughing about it.

"Wow, indeed, Emma." She said with a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry!" The blonde immediately blurted, her cheeks flushing an incredible shade of rose. "I just… It's something almost unbelievable to me that you would feel this way… about  _me_. I mean, I have known it before… but hearing you say the words. Hearing the confirmation actually coming from your mouth so blatantly… It's nice."

The brunette teacher dropped her hand from the blonde's cheek, a darling smile etching itself onto her features. "That's how I feel sometimes, dear. It can be just unbelievable, but I have come to grow used to what you say to me. I've let myself accept them. Embrace them."

Regina released the blonde's hand, the smile still on her face, and turned towards her desk. She pulled out a small pad of papers that had Emma momentarily confused. It wasn't until she had noticed that the stack of papers were those lime green passes did she realize what time it was.

It as fifth period, currently, and she didn't have lunch. She had an actual class, which brought the reality of her semester's schedule back to thought. How Emma absolutely hated the fact that they had switched her lunch. And for what? Some stupid class that she was going to drop, unless it was her aerobics class that would be screwing her up.

Whatever it may be, she would survive this semester anyways, right? She was taking a class with Regina, or would be by tomorrow, and she was also living with the woman so to speak.

That little fact still had her brain buzzing. She literally just threw herself onto the brunette and forced her to take her in those days ago. She only hoped that Regina didn't mind, or Emma was going to feel a pit of guilt in the lower of her stomach.

Emma closed her eyes for a hot moment, embracing the darkness that it provided. Though she caught a draft of fatigue blowing its way through her mind like a tumbleweed. She tried to dispel the feeling as she reopened her eyes to watch the brunette scribble on the paper.

"And, Emma?" Regina glanced up, catching the younger woman's immediate attention.

"Yeah?"

"I feel truly blessed that we had ever met. What do they say? 'You find love in the places you never expected'? Or something of the ilk." She grinned once again, her crimson painted lips spreading wide across her face to show off her pearly white teeth. "I was never one to believe such silly phrases, but I do now. Perhaps it sounds cliche to say… But I can certainly exclaim that I have never once expected to find someone, least of all love, here in this school… This  _town_. But, you came along into my classroom and you were  _different_.

"You weren't like the other students. You treated me with a respect that they never dared to give. Of course, I had never had such thoughts of love upon first being of your acquaintance. You were my student after all.

"But time had run its course and passed. I couldn't help nor stop myself from falling for you. I felt  _dirty_  for it. I felt  _sick_. You're so much younger. You're so young." She chuckled, though Emma suspected it was mostly to herself.

"But 'love knows no boundaries,' right?" Regina sighed softly, signing her name at the bottom of the pass. Her eyes were averted, leaving Emma unknown to her current emotion. So she remained silent, brilliant green eyes focused on the pen held between olive fingers.

"I have ultimately given up on caring. I just hope that you don't mind being with an old lady."

"You're not old!" Emma squawked in disbelief. How could she ever say that?

"I will be, dear. Just you wait, I promise you that."

"I won't care." The blonde mumbled in response.

Emma honestly wouldn't care at this point if Regina were shriveled and grey. She would still love her all the same. She wouldn't leave her. Sure, what drew the blonde in at first was the brunette's looks, but what drew her in deeper was the older woman's spunky and sensitive personality.

"That's how you feel now." Regina smiled sadly and ripped the pass off the pad to hand to the blonde. "You'll be singing a different tune when the time comes. And I'll understand."

"When the time comes, I'll love you even more."

The English teacher sighed and shook her head, humming a disbelieving tune. "You'll see, dear. Now you better get going along. I already kept you too long from your class."

Emma frowned and stood, not willing to worsen the brunette's mood if it were already. She grabbed her backpack and obliged, taking a step away.

"Have a good day, alright?" Regina spoke before the blonde could take another step, her husky voice causing Emma to turn around. Perhaps she wasn't in a sour mood after all.

"You too. I'll see you after school." Emma kept her gaze on the brunette's bobbing head before turning back towards the door.

Without another word to stop her again, she filtered off into the hallway and went straight to the gym for her next class. Luckily they don't do anything on the first day, or so she had hoped they wouldn't. It was a shiny new class, after all.

* * *

"I hope no one's going to notice…" Emma murmured as she and Regina headed out of the school. Mostly everyone was gone by now. The two of them had wasted enough time in order for the halls to clear out.

And by wasting time, that meant the brunette teacher had to pack up everything in order to get ready to go home as Emma just sat in one of the desks and watched her with a smirk. She could never imagine being a teacher or fathom why one would desire to be an educator. They had quite a bit of paperwork and so many students in one day because of the different class periods.

It was really the students that had turned the blonde away from ever wanting to become a teacher. She wasn't fond of teenagers as they are today. Why would she want to tolerate them all over again later in life? And for much longer than the high school career's initial four years?

It wasn't a career exactly on her bucket list. Twelve years in the school system was enough as a kid, it wasn't something she was willing to revisit after she got out.

Emma shuddered at the thought as they proceeded down the hallway towards one of the doors that emptied out into the faculty parking lot. She would much rather pursue her dream career in law enforcement. She wouldn't have to deal with papers and pencils. No. She would get a gun instead and some handcuffs to lock up those very teenagers her girlfriend taught.

_Yes._

"I doubt they will." The brunette reassured the blonde's earlier worry as she opened the outside door and filtered through. Emma followed soon after, though she looked behind her as the glass door closed.

The hallway behind them was completely empty.

Sighing softly in relief, she followed Regina to her Benz parked across the lot. Her eyes were scanning the area around them the entire time. There wasn't another soul in sight.

Though, there was a car in her pelvis.

She groaned as she ran into the back of the Benz, Regina chuckling from the side of the vehicle.

"Is your head somewhere up in the clouds, dear?" She quipped as the blonde pushed herself away from the rear of the vehicle and made her way towards the passenger's side door.

Forest eyes, sparkling with a hint of annoyance, glanced up to the raven-haired woman unlocking the door. She narrowed those greens when she heard a stifled chuckle.

"I was just looking to see if anyone else was here." Emma opened her door once it had unlocked and got in.

"Most of the staff don't leave until later on the first day back." Regina answered the unasked question as she got her seat belt on and prepared the car to leave. "There's usually quite a bit of paperwork and preparing to do for the week to come."

"Why don't they do it before?" The blonde asked with a quirked brow. Apparently teachers were just as lazy as the students when it came to break.

"It's not only the students' break, dear." Regina flashed her a smile before pulling out of the parking spot. "You were with me for most of the vacation. I hadn't necessarily worked, as you had so blatantly discovered."

"Oh, yeah. Sometimes I just forget that teachers are people, too." Emma chuckled thoughtlessly as she looked out the window. "I get so busy with wanting to get the hell away from school and the teachers…"

She was met by the sound of the car engine as they made their way down the streets of Storybrooke, heading towards that large house that Emma could almost call her home. The blonde didn't think much of the silence, for it was peaceful just listening to the gentle hum filling the air. The scenery outside was an eyeful with the sparkling white snow twinkling in the afternoon sun and the Christmas decorations that still clutter many yards.

She was almost so caught up in the sights outside, that she hadn't thought as to why it was so quiet. The teen whirled back to what she had said just moments ago and could nearly hit herself. Here she was talking about teachers and how they weren't exactly people in her mind, or most of the time that was the case, and she was telling this to one of those very teachers. A teacher that so happened to double as her partner-though how strange that still sounded in her mind- and she hadn't bothered to filter herself before those words came out.

What was the use of her brain if she wouldn't use the damn thing?  
"I'm sorry," she quickly muttered, glancing towards the brunette. Regina didn't pay any mind to the blonde, her eyes locking on the road ahead of them.

"It's alright, dear." Regina husked, her voice breaking the momentary silence held between their words.

Emma frowned and studied the older woman's face after she spoke. Her words seemed rather monotonous and those sparkling brown hues never left the road. But as the blonde tried to search her face for any hidden emotion, she came up empty. She didn't looked pissed nor offended.

The blonde would rather leave it like that, of course. She wouldn't have wanted to tick her girlfriend off in any way. That wouldn't be good. She's upset the woman enough throughout their relationship. She'd dealt enough damage to last a lifetime.

"Are you sure?" Emma inquired as Regina pulled into the driveway.

"Of course," The brunette shut off the car and unbuckled her belt. She turned for a moment to give the blonde a reassuring smile, who in return had looked rather skeptical.

Emma's brows rose at her words as she searched the brunette's face once again. When she saw no emotion in the creases of her face, she met with mocha eyes. Immediately, she was flushed with a sense of soothing warmth that had her mind set at ease.

"You don't have to apologize, Emma. You know this." Regina chuckled after a moment of silence. The eye contact between the two had broke for a moment as the brunette sought out Emma's hand to take between her own. She hummed softly, olive fingers delicately playing with much paler ones as she thought out her next words.

The blonde smiled absently as she let Regina play with her fingers, despite being in such an uncomfortable position. As soon as the teacher had spoke, she had turned to get full view of the older woman. One of her legs had been folded up under her as her back pressed painfully against the door, the handle and its bits digging into her spine.

Regina, on the other hand, didn't seem to quite notice the blonde's position as she brought her eyes back up to meet with emerald pools.

"You've proven to me how much of a person I am, dear."

"I hope so." Emma chuckled softly, her cheeks tingling slightly in her sheepish manner.

Suddenly, Regina's entire visage had melted into something sticky sweet. The smile she wore could rot Emma's teeth and the sparkling look in her eyes could put her into a diabetic coma. She'd have to look away if she ever wanted to survive this sudden sugary attack, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Nor could Regina avert her gaze from Emma. So the two of them had ended up quietly staring at each other, unaware of the cooling air around them.

It wasn't until Emma had shivered from the sudden lack of heat did Regina break their contact and the silence.

"We should get inside before we become frozen meat."

"Right."

Emma nodded and shifted back into a normal position, hissing softly as she did so. The door surely left an indent on her back. She could feel the pain there, and the sudden stiffness that had taken over her body.

 _Just walk it off_.

She tried to ignore it as she grabbed her messenger bag and opened the door. Unfortunately, since her mind had been so focused on the stiffness of her body, she hadn't paid any mind to the freezing temperatures outside. In that case, she hadn't been ready for the sudden rush of bitter cold wind that hit her in the face upon opening the car door.

"Holy mother of cold…" The blonde murmured, opening the door all the way so she could quickly get out. Once standing fully outside, she shut the door and shrunk into herself, arms crossed and teeth chattering.

"It is rather cold out here, isn't it?" Regina chuckled from the other side of the car as Emma quickly made her way over to the older woman. The two of them hastily made their way to the front door as the teenager's only response was a string profanities to the weather.

"I really hate winter," she finalized her profane speech and pushed through the door as soon as it had been unlocked. Shivering dramatically, she quickly made her way inside and up the stairs, hoping to get as far away from the cold as possible.

Behind her, she could hear the teacher continue her chuckles, clearly enjoying the show as she followed behind at a far leisurely pace.

By the time the brunette had joined her, sans her coat and purse, Emma was in the middle of the room with her shirt on the floor and her arms crossed over her chest.

"I swear, your bear is watching me." She eyed the little stuffed panda sitting on the bureau.

Regina chuckled and stride towards the blonde, eyes everywhere but the bear. She licked her lips, forcing her eyes to meet with Emma's.

The blonde blushed as she had noticed her current state. She wore no top, not even a brassiere. She had shed that just a moment earlier to get ready for a warm bath to thaw her frozen flesh. How she had managed to get rid of that, her shirt, her coat, and the messenger bag before the brunette had made it to join her, she would never know.

But, then again, she questioned little anymore.

She  _was_ dating her teacher after all.

The brunette finally tore her gaze away from the blonde as if she had just remembered the blonde's initial exclamation and looked at the little raggedy toy in question.

"You're just silly, dear." Regina grinned with amusement. "It cannot see."

_It cannot see, my ass._

Emma wrinkled her nose, shot the bear a glare and turned towards the en suite bathroom. "It's not my favorite thing in the world."

"It's a toy, Emma." The brunette kicked her heels off and placed them in her closet as Emma had flicked on the light to the bathroom.

Sighing, she entered the lavatory and headed towards the tub to draw herself the much-needed bath. Normally, she hated taking them. Showers were much faster and efficient and an overall easier way to bathe. Personally, Emma thought baths were rather disgusting. You were sitting in a pool of your own filth, after all. How could you get clean when you're sitting in what you're supposed to be getting off?

She also never understood the concept of just drawing a bath to sit in and relax, either. To her, it was the most boring concept. Sit in warm water. Maybe have some petals in there. A candle or two. Some music. Fall asleep. Drown.

Dangerous.

It was Regina that brought taking baths to light. Or at least drawing baths to soak in for relaxation. She had taken a few with Regina over time when she had stayed with her. The two of them would relax and chat a bit. Sometimes they would make love. Other times they would just listen to music and enjoy the bath salts and aromas.

Also, Emma had discovered warm baths to help quite a bit when it came to warming up. It was her initial thought upon getting inside. She was still chilled and just wanted to crawl under a blanket and warm up.

She could have always done that, but taking a hot, steamy bath seemed more appealing. And perhaps she could get Regina to join her.

Smirking to herself, Emma turned on the taps and stood up once again as the steaming water began to fill the already plugged porcelain. She quickly left the bathroom to collect a fresh outfit for after the bath and a fluffy towel from the hallway linen closet.

But when she exited the bathroom, Regina was standing there wearing nothing but her lace undergarments and a delicious smirk on her face.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" she asked, her voice like pure silk.

Emma could moan just hearing those words slide off the older woman's tongue.

"You're always welcome to." The blonde responded, her eyes wide as she took in her lover's physique. There was nothing but tanned flesh in her view. Perfect, taut skin covering tantalizing curves.

She drank the teacher in, a wave of heat suddenly bubbling in her lower belly as her eyes moved from Regina's smiling face down to her flexing, slender neck and the kissable collarbone that lie underneath. Emma pressed her legs together and groaned in protest when her eyes landed on the black lace covered breasts. Each perfect globes that she wished were uncovered by that skimpy material.

"Emma?" The blonde could hear Regina's smirk twisted within those words, but she didn't look up. Instead, she tortured herself as she let emerald slide down the brunette's perfect, soft abdomen to the sheer material of her panties that covered the forbidden flesh she so suddenly desired.

"Oh,  _god_ ," she found herself mumbling, eyes traveling further down the older woman's muscular thighs.  _Oh_ , thighs she could imagine being wrapped around her waist, holding her close as she would…

A fluffy, beige towel was shoved in front of her face and she blinked. Finally snapping her attention back up to meet coffee orbs, she smiled sheepishly and took the terrycloth.

"Before the tub overflows, dear." Regina smiled sweetly, and  _oh_ , she had a teasing twinkle in her eyes that just ate the blonde up.

"Right…" Emma quickly nodded, a blush blooming on her cheeks as she headed back into the bathroom. She made haste with setting the towel on the rack next to the tub and removed the rest of her clothes. As she did so, she could hear a soft gasp behind her, which had only made her face heat even more.

"Would you like some salts for the bath, dear?" The blonde nodded at her lover's words and moved to switch the tap off. She sighed blissfully as the steam from the tub hit her face, already warming her very core.

Or that was from Regina.

Either way, she wasn't complaining. She wasn't cold any longer.

The soft sound of something hitting water roused the blonde from her momentary space out as she enjoyed the warmth seeping into her. She glanced up to notice Regina pouring little purple rock-like things into the bath. The pellets hit and broke the surface with gentle splashes, little drops of water showered her face.

"Now we're ready. Unless you would like a few candles?" Regina set the little jar of bath salts aside on the counter and grinned down at the blonde.

Emma stood from her spot and shrugged, looking to the candles that lay lined up along the outside of the tub. They were rather soothing for soaking in the tub, especially when the lights would be off. She bit her lower lip in momentary contemplation before swiftly turning around to flick the lightswitch off behind her.

The only source of light now was what little sunlight spilled through the curtains on the small window. Emma used that to find her way back to the bathtub where Regina was already lighting the few candles around it. With the last one lit, the brunette set the lighter down and slowly slipped into the tub.

It was then that Emma had finally noticed she had lost the final few scraps of clothing. She must have done that when she had turned off the light.

Or maybe beforehand, but she hadn't exactly been paying attention when thinking about the warmth of the tub. She wasn't going to question it. The older woman was nude now, as was she, and the tub was ready.

The blonde stood at the edge of it, her eyes adjusting to the soft candlelight. It looked absolutely peaceful. Romantic, even.  _Shit_.

"Are you going to just stand there, dear, or join me in this… lonely bath?" Regina's smirk met Emma's wide, doe-eyes.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she mumbled softly and lifted a leg over the tub's edge, careful not to step on the brunette as she slowly got in.

Emma stood there for a moment, awkwardly looking behind her at the expectant brunette. Everything logical immediately fled her mind. They had done this countless times before, but suddenly the tub just seemed too small. Too awkward.

Logically, she knew it wasn't. She could nestle comfortably between Regina's legs and then still have quite a bit of room. But in this moment, she felt as if her brain had checked out. The bath salts must have been getting to her brain because she just stared at Regina as if she had the information that she needed.

Emma was completely tranced by her. Everything about the brunette was absolutely stunning. Her chocolate, brown eyes sparkled and danced in the candlelight. Her tawny skin glowed with a soft sheen of moisture. The steam from the tub rose up around her, leaving her in a haze that made it seem like they were in a romantic love scene.

The blonde blushed and finally broke her gaze to settle herself down into the tub. She moaned softly as she submerged herself into the steamy, hot water. It felt a million times better than she'd ever dreamed and the lavender scent that permeated her senses only made it that much better.

After settling fully into the water, she felt arms wrap around her abdomen. Emma smiled, sighing contentedly as she relaxed and leaned back into Regina. She knew that she could stay like this forever. It was so peaceful and spending eternity in Regina's arms seemed to be a plus on the list.

"There you are, dear." Regina chuckled softly against her ear, chin setting itself on the blonde's shoulder.

"I got distracted."

"You seem to have the distraction bug today." The brunette commented, smoothing a lock of blonde curls away from Emma's face.

"I don't know what's up today. It's just…" Emma shrugged and allowed Regina to play with her hair. She shivered slightly as the older woman's fingers slid through her blonde locks, which had caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. It was always her favorite thing when Regina played with her hair. She couldn't describe why, but she loved it.

"Oh, my." Regina kissed the top of her head. "Perhaps you need this bath to relax."

"I know." Emma sighed blissfully.

The brunette teacher chuckled softly, sending vibrations through her body that tickled the blonde's back. Emma grinned and pressed herself back some more, trying to stop the little tickles before she would burst into laughter.

After a few moments, Regina had quieted down, leaving the room void of anything but their breathing. Emma had taken this time to close her eyes, body completely melting as she allowed for herself to eat up the silence. This was definitely what she needed.

 _Oh, yes indeed_.

She hummed softly when she felt Regina's fingers skate across her belly, causing the muscles to tighten. An aching heat once again settled in her lower belly the more the older woman had danced those digits over her stomach, moving up as they traveled.

"How was your day?" The brunette queried, slowing sliding her hand up to the swell of her chest, soon covering one of the delicate mounds.

Emma's breath hitched at this and she shifted, the thrum between her thighs only intensifying. "It wasn't anything special. In fact, it was boring. Like any other first day back, I guess."

Regina hummed, her head bobbing up and down in response. "These days tend to be rather mundane. But think of it this way, Emma, you're halfway through senior year and after that,, you're done."

'I'll still have to go to school, though," the blonde sighed unhappily. "But I suppose it'll be better with college people than these immature kids."

"Indeed." The brunette chimed, the hand that had cupped Emma's breast squeezed the delicate tissue, causing the blonde to let out a soft moan. She arched slightly, trying to press herself further against Regina's hand.

She gasped when Regina offered another squeeze, the sensitive tip of her breast rubbing against the palm of the brunette's hand as she made a rhythm.

"H-How was your day?"

"Quite mundane. You saw how fourth period was, correct? That's how my entire day was." Regina paused her movements for a moment before making her kneading motion counterclockwise. "Except for the the Creative Writing II class and the new composition classes that I had taken on. Since they are new to the semester, I was able to change up my routine. Though, it was still rather bleak."

"Did you make the Creative Writing students write a paper about themselves again like you did in the first class last semester?" Emma asked, her voice a stressed moan as Regina had continued her ministrations.

The brunette's fingers soon moved to pluck the rosy bud, earning another murmur of pleasure from the blonde. Emma squeezed her eyes shut as the attention to her breast had shot a heavy dose of arousal to her aching core. She groaned happily, her brain unable to concentrate on the answer that Regina was giving her as she continued, fingers teasing the nipple between them.

"I was having a few contemplations about that since I had done that last semester, seeing as to how I would know of their writing skills since I had them already." Regina sighed softly, her other hand dropping from the blonde's hair to fall between milky thighs.

The blonde blinked slightly when she saw this and watched the brunette's every movement. Tanned fingers teased her inner thighs into opening, leaving Emma nearly breathless as her other hand had quickened their ministrations with her sore nipple. She could only gasp, emerald eyes focused on the exploring fingers with great interest as they went south, moving to the top of her thigh.

"Though I do have some students that I had acquired from the other creative writing classes." Regina continued to speak even as she moved her hands, bringing the one on Emma's leg back up her thigh. Emma squeezed her eyes shut as the deep ache between those very thighs burned with desire.

It was like the weight of the world had been lifted when those lithe fingers moved between her nether lips. She inhaled sharply at the new pleasure exploding through her body and jerked her hips to gain more contact. A husky chuckle sounded above her as those very fingers found the center of her pleasure and stimulated it with firm, circular rubs.

" _Oh, Gina!_ " Emma cried softly into the thick air, her hips bucking against the brunette's hand. Her mind blanked as she focused it on the pleasure she received. The romantic, cinematical love-scene setting seemed to fade away into what would happen after the screen went black. She didn't care if they had skipped a step in there. Currently her mind was on nothing but the pleasure causing her body to tense up as her body moved to find the release it wanted.

"But I did have them write a paper over their winter break." Regina whispered into the blonde's ear and, despite the subject, she could feel the heat pool even more between her thighs.

Regina's voice was orgasm material. Sometimes she could just explode upon hearing that deep, husky and sensual voice. Sometimes it was the only thing she waited for to tip over the edge.

Unfortunately, it hadn't helped her in this state as she writhed slightly and arched against the older woman behind her, whose hands were still working at a much vigorous pace than before. Emma cried out softly when those digits had left their job at the sensitive bundle of nerves to enter her aching body, pumping at a fantastical pace that had her gripping what she could of the tub.

And just as the blonde was reaching the highest point of her pleasure, her hips bucking and her body tingling, she heard a familiar song echo from the other room. It was the song that she had used for her foster mother when she would call.

For a moment, Emma had completely forgot her situation and panicked as she tumbled back down the mountain, completely losing her glorious position. Regina didn't let up, though she made a noise as if confirming the blonde's fears.

That was Mary Margaret calling, and it was the first time she had contacted since Emma had left the Nolan's. Even though it had only been a couple days since their fight, she had the urge to answer her cellphone. She wasn't sure if it was for her momentary confusion or the need to reconcile.

So she had tensed slightly and prepared to get out, despite her lover's continued movements. She moaned softly, but Regina had dropped her hand from the blonde's breast to wrap around her waist. The brunette had pulled her back and pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"Call her back."

Emma shook her head and grabbed the brunette's arm, pulling it away. "I know that you hate her now… But I need to answer that. She's still my mother." The blonde shifted slightly and seized Regina's other wrist. "Besides, it kind of ruined it."

The older woman sighed softly and completely released her younger lover. Emma nodded gratefully and stood up, her legs slightly shaky as she lifted each over the tub. Her phone had stopped ringing moments ago, perhaps unfortunately, but she could still call Mary Margaret back.

Emma wasn't exactly fond of that woman as of current, but if that was really the schoolteacher calling her, it meant she had thought about what she had said. Or Emma hoped so. She hoped that the woman cared enough to know where she was and if she was safe. She hoped that she had thought about the inane things that she had shouted at her and realize just how damaging those words really were.

The blonde quickly picked up her phone from the floor where it had spilled from her bag earlier and searched for her missed calls. Sure enough, Mary Margaret was on top. The display reading that she had called just minutes ago.

Emma shifted the towel she had wrapped around her before coming out and headed towards the bed to perch on the edge of the mattress. She exhaled deeply and punched the return call button. As she held the phone up to her ear, she saw Regina emerge from the bathroom, donning one of her terrycloth robes. She wore a sheepish smile as she moved to join the blonde on the bed, her coffee eyes apologetic.

Emma sighed softly and returned the smile, telling her that it was alright. The other line was still ringing and she was beginning to worry that her not picking up had alerted the pixie-haired woman that she hadn't wanted to talk to her. Hopefully she would pick up.

Meanwhile, Regina was gazing at her through curious orbs, her brows furrowed as if to silently ask why she wasn't talking. Emma merely shrugged and was about to open her mouth to answer when the other side of the line picked up and Mary Margaret's voice could be heard.

" _Emma! Are you alright? Where are you? I'm worried sick!"_

Emma closed her eyes and breathed at the sudden berating words.

"I'm alright, Mary Margaret." She reassured, feeling a shift in the bed as the brunette beside her crawled further onto the bed.

The blonde narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched Regina's bum sway in the air as she crawled. She was quickly brought back to reality, though, when she heard her squawking foster mother on the other end.

" _Thank God I got a hold of you! I was worried. I tried to call the other day, but I didn't get an answer."_

"I don't remember receiving a call." Emma quirked a brow at her foster mother's words. She hadn't remembered ever getting a call from Mary Margaret. This was the first time, though she  _did_  receive a few messages from her that she never replied back to. They were stupid little messages that made it feel as if the schoolteacher was more worried about her conscious than Emma's wellbeing.

" _I haven't heard back from you, either. I sent you messages."_  Mary Margaret seemed to completely block out what the blonde had said. Emma rolled her eyes and lay back against the bed. Was she really going to do this?

" _What… I wanted to say, Emma,"_  her voice was far quieter than it had been before, which had taken the blonde aback. She narrowed her eyes up at the ceiling, awaiting her foster mother's next words.

" _... I'm sorry._ "

That had struck a nerve. Emma's eyes began to water once she had heard those two simple words. She had rarely ever heard them from anyone, and when she had, they were never sincere enough. But the way that Mary Margaret had said those two simple words to her had been said with an emotion that let Emma know the woman gotten choked up.

There was a soft sniffle on the other side of the line as Emma lay there quietly, her eyes still on the ceiling. A single tear had escaped her eye and slipped down her cheek, which had Regina frowning as she moved to give the blonde a concerned look. Emma tilted her head to look at the brunette, who had taken position on her stomach.

She mouthed, "are you alright?"

Emma nodded, sniffled, and spoke into the phone.

"You're sorry?" Her voice cracked, but she cleared her throat to act as if she wasn't breaking. "Why would you even say those things to me in the first place?"

" _Emma, I…_ "

"Do you realize how much that  _hurt?_ " Emma sat back up, anger suddenly washing into her mindset. "I thought you'd be more accepting. You didn't seem so destroyed when I talked about-"

" _I know I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, Emma. And I'm sorry that I had reacted that way. It was insensitive of me."_

Mary Margaret paused for a moment. Emma could hear an intake of breath and a masculine voice on the other end, sounding as if it were trying to console her.

" _I realize that now and I know that there's no changing you. Emma, honey, I love you for you, and who you are, and I don't care who you like just so long as you're happy._ "

"Do you really mean that?" Emma's throat constricted.

" _Of course I do, Emma. Why else would I be telling you this if I didn't? I feel so terrible for what I had done and I realize that it must have hurt you more than I could ever imagine. And I understand if you would never forgive me… and if you never want to come back."_

"Mary Margaret…" Emma sighed softly, closing her eyes. "I do forgive you. I don't even know why… but… I just feel the need to. You and David, you two were the only ones that actually  _cared_  during my time in the system. You two kept me the longest and gave me a home. You made me feel  _loved_  and I really appreciate that. I'd hate to see all of that get thrown away for something so silly. And I'm… I'm glad that you're doing this. I appreciate that you're apologizing to me.

"It honestly means so much, Mary Margaret and thank you." The blonde opened her eyes and smiled. "I love you. I love both you and David very much."

" _Emma… I hope you know whatever I said, I hadn't really meant it. I was just… shocked, I guess. I hadn't expected this and it's something different when it's your own daughter. I've had plenty of time to accept this… perhaps not fully, but I will one day. I'd rather not waste the time in between and have you back, not hating me for being so insolent._

" _I could never send you back into that system, Emma, and I don't know why I ever said that. I love you too much to ever let you go like that. And I can't let you go now. Please come back home, Emma. We miss you."_

Those words had caused Emma's heart to skip a beat. They wanted her back? They missed her?

But what would she do? She was staying here with Regina. Of course, she could always go back to the Nolan's. She knew that Regina wouldn't mind because that was her home after all.

But… this was her home, also. And there was a part of her, and a rather large part at that, that didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay here. She wanted to stay with Regina.

Was that bad?

"I… don't know, Mary Margaret."

" _Emma, please… I-Is it too soon?"_

"No…" Emma sighed and laid back against the mattress once again. Regina was still on her stomach and had now lifted her head to quirk a brow at the blonde. "I have to think about it. I quite like my current situation… I don't know."

" _I understand… You are always welcome back, Emma, I want you to know that."_

"I know, Mary Margaret. Just… let me think about it, alright? I'm pretty tired and I had a long day at school…"

" _I'm glad to know that you went. But if you would like for me to let you go, I suppose I shall. Talk to you later, alright? And take care… I'm worried about you…"_

"Yes, Mary Margaret. And, I know… I've gotta go. Talk to you later."

" _Goodbye, sweetheart."_

"Bye," the blonde sighed and peeled her phone away from her ear to turn off.

Emma flopped onto her stomach and faced the brunette who offered her a tentative smile.

"I assume that your conversation had went well?"

"Yeah." Emma wriggled further onto the bed and looked into her partner's eyes, lips pursing. "She wants me to go back."

Regina's features melted and the smile she had given to her melted as she slowly nodded.

"Do you want to go back?"

"I don't want to leave you…" she whispered softly, eyes lowering slightly. "You're home."

"Emma…" Regina sighed, hooking a finger under the blonde's chin. She tilted Emma's head up to meet her gaze. "I do not want you to feel obligated to stay here. If you wish to go back to the Nolan's, you can."

"That's the thing, I don't think I want to. Being here… Being here is home." Emma's eyes slid over the brunette's face, her features were everything perfect this close and her dark hues were something dangerous to get lost in. How could she ever want to leave this place. It was something of her home, now, and Regina was here to share it with her. The idea of seeing her everyday, all day was so very appealing.

"I want to be able to go to bed with you and wake up in your arms." Emma whispered, her lips twitching when she saw the teacher's cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. "And I want that every night and every morning. I don't want to see you for just a limited amount of time. That… it doesn't work for me anymore. After I've had a taste of life like this, I don't want to leave it."

Regina's perfect, plump pink lips curved into the sweetest smile Emma had ever seen. She leaned forward and before the blonde could decipher what was happening, those very lips were covering hers in an equally sweet kiss. Emma purred softly and nearly melted as she returned it with a gentle caress of her lips.

Regina pulled away soon after, lips slightly parted as she took a moment to breathe.

"You are always welcome here, Emma." She grinned lightly, her hand moving to cup the blonde's cheek. Gentle, olive fingers caressing silky, porcelain skin.

"Good… I'll have to tell Mary Margaret of my decision, of course, blocking out this little detail…" Emma bit her lower lip, her head turning into the caress as she gazed into muddy pools.

"Before you do that, dear," Regina pulled her hand away much to Emma's protest and sat up. "We should eat."

And at the mention of that very activity, Emma's stomach growled. She had been so busy with everything else, she had completely forgotten that she hadn't eaten. Somehow that had slipped her mind and the gnawing in her stomach had seemed to have disappeared somewhere between bath time and her chat with Mary Margaret.

"I concur." Emma nodded quickly and rolled off the bed. "Let me change first, though."

"While you do that, I will go start lunch. I don't think I can wait another minute." Regina chuckled softly, stood up, and pressed a kiss to the blonde's forehead. "I could eat a horse."

"Let's… not do that…" Emma crinkled her nose and unwrapped the towel.

"We might just have to have dessert afterwards…" Regina murmured, licking her lips as her eyes raked over the blonde's nude body.

Emma blushed and scurried towards her bag to find something to wear. "I thought you were going to make lunch."

"Yes. Right. Lunch." Regina nodded, peeling her eyes away to turn around and go do just that. She paused, though, before leaving the room and spoke.

"What would you like?"

"At this point, anything." Emma shrugged and picked out a particularly large shirt from her bag.

"Anything." Regina nodded and gave her one last smile before leaving the room.

Emma shook her head and laughed. Who knows what the woman was going to make. But she didn't care. In face, her stomach was doing little flips. This seemed so domestic. She was waiting for her girlfriend to make them lunch in  _their_  house. It seemed like a dream that she never thought would come true.

Emma grinned softly to herself and quickly donned a pair of undergarments and the overlarge shirt before going downstairs to see just what Regina was whipping up for the two of them.

* * *

"It's about time you join us." Killian droned upon Emma's entrance to the English classroom. Her  _new_  sixth period, and far nicer than the computer class that she was originally set up for. She had her friends in this class, and of course, there was always the added bonus of Regina.

"Mr. Hopper wouldn't let me switch yesterday. I had to get some stupid paper signed." The blonde rolled her eyes as she headed towards her two friends. They were placed in the back of the room, on the other side of the desk that was next to the teacher's. Emma had talked to the brunette the day before about the seating arrangement. It took a bit of string pulling and button pushing for her to make up the chart how she wanted, but she eventually gave in and did it.

Emma had got her old seat back, which meant that she would ultimately be closer to the brunette and her ever teasing presence.

"He does it to everyone," the brunette watched her friend slide into the seat placed next to hers.

Emma shrugged in response, pulling her notebook out of her bag. "It's still stupid."

"They do it to prevent students from switching classes without their parents' knowledge, I think. Just in case a parent wanted their child to take a certain class, but that student doesn't want to-"

"Alright, confusing." Emma held up a hand, shooting Belle a playful stare. "I think I have an understanding of it. I just don't see why they're making the seniors do it. You know, most of us are eighteen and perfectly capable of making adult decisions."

"Apparently the school board doesn't agree." Killian added his two cents, his furry brows raised.

"The school is stupid. It's all stupid. I'm so glad that we're almost done with it." Emma groused, flipping through the notebook on her desk to a new sheet of paper. "Did you guys do something yesterday?"

"Oh, we wrote about our winter break." Belle nodded, pulling out her own notebook. She had soon flipped to a page covered in writing, titled ' _My Winter Break_.'

"Is there a paper for it?" The blonde glanced to her male friend to see him doing the same, though he had the paper torn out. Or papers. "Holy crap. How long is it supposed to be?"

"The minimum was one page, dear." Ms. Mills slipped a piece of paper on her desk.

Emma glanced up to the brunette's wide smile, showing just a flash of her perfect, white teeth. "Everyone's writing so much, though."

Surely Regina wasn't going to appreciate that later on. Neither would Emma because she knew that she'd have to be the one sitting next to her, waiting as she read and graded each and every one of them. Maybe she should make hers just that one page.

"That's what happens when creativity is unleashed." The brunette teacher gave a nonchalant shrug, but Emma had a feeling she was screaming several profanities on the inside. She should be glad that this was the only Creative Writing II class that she had, though she had other classes that dealt with writing. Of course, she was an English teacher after all. Emma didn't envy her one bit.

"I'll be sure to make mine short for you." Emma grinned slightly, eyes dropping to the paper that Regina had given her moments earlier. It was the basic criteria for writing a paper with the simple prompt and expectations.

"You don't need to, Emma," the brunette continued, moving to take a seat in her desk as the bell finally rang. She picked up a pen and played with it, making the slender object slide between her fingers. "I know just how creative you can get."

Emma could feel the heat rising to the surface of her cheeks when the English teacher had said those words. In context, it was a simple and innocent statement. But out of context, and with that smirk that she was giving the teenager, it was far away from what it was meant to be.

The blonde nearly blinked at the thoughts running through her mind. Even the simplest statement- one that didn't necessarily make sense enough to be naughty in her book- still got her rather hot and a bit bothered.

Alright, a lot bothered. She could  _die_  with the tremendous ache between her thighs, demanding for that brunette teacher's attention. Emma made a slight noise, covered by a forced yawn as she tried to pass it off as such.

Regina was long to the front of the room by now, discussing the plan for the day. She paced the floor, each movement causing the beige slacks she wore to tighten incredibly around her plump posterior. Emma couldn't remove her eyes from the ass that she had seen this morning before those slacks had been put on. And she couldn't stop imagining the purple, satin panties that were hidden underneath. Or the way that her ass had hung out of them, and quite incredibly so.

Emma hummed and tried to shoo the thoughts from her mind. She wouldn't be able to concentrate with them right there in the front of her brain. The current Regina image in front of her was far safer. She stood there, wearing a red turtleneck that was not at all attractive. It showed nothing.

That was a lie.

The blonde swallowed thickly and tried to block off all thought from entering her mind. She focused in on listening to what the English teacher was currently addressing to the class. Ms. Mills' liquid voice drenched her like a honey bath.

"I am going to give you today to finish up your assignments from yesterday. If you have already completed them, you may hand them in and do what you wish quietly for the remainder of the class. If you do not have it completed, I would appreciate for you to get them finished, or else they will have a late penalty." Regina's mocha hues traveled over the expanse of the classroom, lingering momentarily on the blonde before she forced a smile on her crimson lips. "If you have any questions, please, do ask without hesitation."

There was a pause as the students all sat, unblinking as they stared at her. She shifted a bit when no one raised their hands and continued. "You may turn in your assignment to me. I will be at my desk. If you have any questions later on, you may ask."

"Awkward," Killian chuckled and slid out of his desk as the brunette teacher had made her way back to her own desk. The teenage boy quickly turned in the assignment, stopped and winked at Emma knowingly before heading back to his desk once again.

The blonde could only stare at him. She knew he knew, since she was here when they had told him. Though, that was a rather stupid idea. She wasn't sure why the hell Regina had blurted out their relationship like that. It was completely out of character and rather dangerous for the knowledge of their relationship to be in the mind of a teenage boy. Besides all of the gross things that he could be doing with such information, it was rather nerve-wracking to know that he could tell someone at any given moment. And if he were to tell someone, another might overhear and tell even more people.

That was a dangerous thing. Emma shuddered at the thought. If they were ever found out before the year's end, they were completely screwed. She wasn't sure if they could up and leave the town to reside somewhere else that would safe for them to live. She wasn't sure if there would be a big news story about it.

Regina could go to prison for something like this and who would only know what would happen to Emma. Sure, she was of legal age, but that didn't really guarantee anything. She was still also legally a student of the school and Regina was her teacher.

Emma leaned back in her desk, eyes closing at the thought. Why did she ever think that it was a good idea to pursue Ms. Mills in the first place? Sometimes she wished the teacher would have rejected her after that kiss so they wouldn't be sneaking around. It was like trying to dodge mines. Sure, they were safe as long as they knew how to go about keeping it a secret, but there could always be that one mine they could accidentally step on. And if they ever stepped on one, everything would backfire and start a domino effect.

She couldn't let that happen. Especially not to Regina. The woman didn't deserve it.

Or did she?

If people were to ever find out, she would be the accused predator for going after Emma. The blonde would be nothing but a victim, though she never really was logically speaking. But in their eyes… Regina was something of a monster. Regina had pursued a relationship with one of her students. With a student that was twenty years younger than her, and still underage when it had all started.

To Emma, none of this seemed to be wrong. It all had felt so normal to her for a reason. After the two of them had broken their professional shell, they were nothing but two vulnerable women who fancied each other. They were humans underneath it all.

But the big guys wouldn't think so.

They would separate the two of them and probably never allow them to be together. And if there would be an off-chance that they  _would_  allow for them to stay together, nothing would be the same. Regina would lose her job and she would have trouble finding another. Emma could lose her family, she could lose her friends… And she couldn't blame Mary Margaret for screaming her head off at her about any of it.

The blonde shuddered at the thought. She didn't want to think of that reality, no. She couldn't. It was just too heart-aching. Emma loved Regina more than she could have ever imagined possible and she was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She couldn't lose that woman. Not now. Not ever…

"I cannot fathom how people could write so much about their winter vacation." Belle's accented voice brought the blonde out of her thoughts.

Emma blinked towards her brunette friend, almost thankful that she had. It had scared the living crap out of her, but it had also drug her away from the horrible thoughts. With a shrug, she sat up in her chair and grabbed a pencil.

"I don't know," she murmured to fuel her friend's thought.

"How interesting could they be? All I did was sleep, eat, and hang out with you guys. Not the most exciting thing." Belle shook her head, watching as a few students went to turn their papers into Ms. Mills.

Emma watched as well, blinking when she saw one of the boys hand in a neat, thin stack of papers. How many was that? Was this boy trying to write a novella over his winter break? She felt quite sorry for Regina at this point. She had troubles reading over just one student's work when they had to do peer reviewing.

Perhaps she wasn't giving her girlfriend enough credit for the job she was doing.

Emma would be good and sit with her later, all night if need be, while she read through those stories.

"Did you see that guy's?" Emma queried, turning back to Belle with wide eyes.

"It's like he's trying to publish a novel over there." Killian chuckled, looking up from his doodle. Emma nodded in agreement and rolled her eyes.

"It's ridiculous."

"Emma, shh…" Regina popped her head up to look at the blonde, a brow quirked. "Don't make me send you to the office."

"Sorry…" Emma muttered, wrinkling her nose at the brunette teacher. Shush! She was shushing her.

Belle laughed, their male friend soon joining in.

"You got told by the teacher."

"Oh, shut up." Emma hissed, bringing her attention to the blank sheet of notebook paper that she was supposed to be writing on.

"You're just cranky because you got told to shh." Killian smirked, but he was soon shushed as well by Ms. Mills, who had glared up at the three of them.

"I will place you in the front of the room and well away from me if you are going to continue with your incessant talking."

"Sorry…" Belle and Killian quickly muttered their apology.

"Thank you. Now busy yourselves.  _Quietly_."

"Ha-ha." Emma sneered at the two of them, making a face.

"Oh, shut it." Belle muttered into her book.

"Snooty ass." Killian stuck his tongue out at her.

Emma merely chuckled before going back to her paper. What the hell was she going to write about? Her winter break, of course. But Regina already knew what she did. It'd probably be boring for her to read over once she got to it after thirty more beforehand. Perhaps she could write something more interesting. Something twisty and fictional.

The blonde smirked as an idea popped into her head and she began to quickly jot down what was boiling on the surface of her mind.

* * *

"Emma, what the hell is this?" Regina held up a notebook, eyes boring holes into the blonde's skull as if to break an answer out of her.

"It's my winter break story." The blonde smiled innocently from beside the brunette and popped a chip into her mouth.

The two of them were stationed in the sitting room, papers were strewn across the coffee table as the brunette read through them, a red pen in hand. She wore her thick, black-framed glasses and a pair of fluffy, panda pajama bottoms with a matching t-shirt. Emma sit beside her wearing something almost similar, though her pants had little skulls wearing santa hats on them and her shirt was plain black, clearly not going with the outfit.

She held onto a few select assignments that she was in the middle of reading when the brunette had interrupted her. Emma had quickly dug out Killian's and Belle's papers to give them a quick read-through before the brunette would check them. She was rather curious as to what her friends had to say, and she was amused thus far with Belle's.

Emma was in it, yes, but so was Ruby. Ah, yes, Belle's newly discovered girlfriend and it was rather adorable what she was saying about the oldest brunette. She was dancing around the subject of their relationship, making it appear as if they were just really good friends. The blonde could laugh.

Apparently she and Regina weren't the only ones keeping their relationship a secret.

Regina hadn't read through their papers yet, though, since Emma had immediately pulled them from the stack to read over first. After reading Belle's, though, she had the urge to blurt out about her and Ruby's little relationship. She wanted to see Regina's reaction over that fact after she will have read the paper.

But Belle's and Ruby's relationship was their own secret. She was sworn not to tell anyone and she would keep it like that. If Regina so happened to make an assumption based off reading and Emma so happened to confirm, that wouldn't be breaking anything, right?

Emma hoped not, because if that situation ever came up, she would no doubt spill the beans. Sometimes it was hard for her to keep a secret when someone so obviously knew what it was beforehand.

"What on earth are you doing with those?" Regina had quickly forgot about the notebook in hand as she finally noticed the papers that Emma had held and was so clearly amused about reading.

The blonde stared at her, a sheepish smile on her lips. "I just wanted to read them."

"Haven't I told you not to do that?" The older woman made a reach to grab the papers, but Emma moved them out of her reach.

"Don't worry. They're only Belle's and Killian's. I'm sure they don't care. They'd let me read them, anyways." Emma shrugged, but the brunette didn't relent as she carefully set the notebook down and crawled across the blonde's lap to reach for the papers. She blinked slightly at the sight, smirking in thought.

As Regina lay awkwardly over her, one hand planted firmly on the couch cushion beside Emma as the other reach for the papers in her hand, the blonde wrapped an arm around her waist. The brunette collapsed, gasping in surprised as she hit Emma's lap with a thump.

"What are you-"

"Usually I'm the one who's frisky." Emma smirked.

Regina let out a puff of air and squirmed to sit up. Emma allowed her to turn onto her back, but she hadn't released her enough to let her get away. Instead, the blonde merely tightened her grip and lowered her head towards Regina's. Her pale, pink lips curled into a devious smile as the brunette stared at her, nose slightly crinkled and brows furrowed.

"I am  _not_  being frisky." Regina huffed and struggled against the blonde's grip. "Now, come on, Emma. I need to finish reading through these assignments."

"What do I get?" The blonde cocked her head to the side, eyes still on the struggling brunette.

"I'll let you keep those. Just… let me go."

Emma grinned wryly. "What's the magic word?"

"Please!" Regina paused suddenly, a look on her face that had the blonde immediately release her.

"Thank you," she sniffed and sat up, whatever emotion that had haunted her now gone.

Emma narrowed her eyes slightly, then quickly pulled the brunette against her before she could slide off her lap. She could feel the teacher tense for a moment, but she soon relaxed upon realizing that the blonde didn't have such a tight hold on her this time.

The blonde smiled lightly, her eyes closing as she inhaled Regina's sweet fragrance. She smelled of apples with a light hint of cinnamon. Emma hummed softly and leaned forward, her hand gently stroking Regina's side as her lips met with olive skin.

The teacher sighed blissfully, allowing this moment of weakness as she let the blonde taste her. One of her hands had found itself on the blonde's cotton clad shoulder and squeezed when Emma had made her way up the column of her neck.

"Emma…" she whispered softly, head turning to face the blonde.

Emma pulled away enough to meet coffee eyes, shimmering and dark. With a soft smile, she leaned forward to capture the older woman's lips with her own in a sweet, gentle caress. Regina gasped softly, the hot air teasing the blonde's tingling lips. She smiled even wider and dove back in to kiss the brunette once again, humming when Regina had returned it. Her lips pressed firmly into Emma's, earning a soft moan.

The blonde couldn't be bothered to pull away as she tilted her head and went for another kiss, her lips parted. Regina had eagerly returned it, crimson lips sliding against pink, coating them with her lips stick as they repeatedly smashed against each other.

Emma's breath shallowed, the forgotten papers in her hand had now been dropped onto the couch beside them as she wrapped both her arms firmly around the brunette's petite body. Said brunette had shifted her position, her legs on either side of the blonde's hips and her hands holding both of Emma's cheeks in place. The blonde only groaned more, the once dull ache between her thighs as intensified to something almost insatiable.

She bucked her hips slightly, a needy feeling washing over her. Regina had mewled softly in response, her own hips grinding down against the blonde as her tongue had invaded Emma's mouth. The younger woman could feel her eyes roll back into her head at the added sensation, her own tongue readily massaging her lover's back, earning another mewl.

The sound had her lower belly burning with desire, the day's toll finally breaking down on her. She had been desperate for release since this morning when they had skipped out of the house before doing anything. And now was the time to get it over with before she would explode.

Emma missed Regina's next kiss as she turned her head to the side to speak, the older woman's tongue awkwardly ramming into her cheek.

"Touch me…" she whispered, kissing the brunette's cheek before going back in for another kiss.

And like clockwork, Regina had abided her simple request, hands falling down the blonde's sides in a teasing manner. Emma's breath hitched anxiously, her hips gently bucking forward once again. She could already feel the brunette's fingers touching her, inside and out.

"Unf… please…" Emma murmured against the brunette's lips. She bit Regina's lower lip between her teeth and tugged slightly, the older woman's fingers sliding between them as they found the hem of her fluffy pajamas.

Regina chuckled softly over something unknown to the blonde, but she didn't care. She was so close to her throbbing center, nothing else mattered. Emma hummed anxiously, her legs parting slightly as the brunette's olive fingers disappeared into her pants, finding her moist core through damp panties.

"Nn…  _Yes!"_  Emma gasped, her bum slightly rising off the couch as she tried to meet her lover's fingers. Pleasure spiked her body, taking over every nerve as the brunette had fingered her clit, the digit thrumming against the sensitive bud at a pace that had Emma's head almost exploding.

"Mm, like that?" Regina purred against the blonde's cheek, nipping softly at her delicate flesh before licking over it entirely.

"Y-y- _yes!_ " Emma squeaked softly, her hips moving against the hand that pleased her, trying to find a quick release to her pent-up frustration. "More… Please. More. I need to-"

"Anything for you, dear." The brunette's voice had taken an incredibly husky tone as her lips sought out Emma's pale neck. Her fingers had stopped their torment to the bud and slid down the slick flesh to find her entrance. She teased it with a finger that had the blonde squirming, pleading for more. Her cries were an echo in the large room which had only grown louder when Regina had carefully slid two digits into her.

"You're so beautiful when you're in pleasure…" Regina whispered, head raising to capture Emma's lips once again in a heated kiss. Her fingers had pumped deep into her, the pace of them matched the one she had set with each stroke of her tongue, something both teasing and pleasing that had Emma almost on the edge of the couch.

"O-Oh, Gina!" Her cry was muffled by the brunette's mouth, her entire body tensing as she neared the wonderful release she had been yearning for. She craved to find it, her hips matching in time with the brunette's thrusts until she had exploded. Emma gave a short cry, her peak hitting her hard as her fingers dug into the older woman's sides.

"There you go…" Regina smirked, pulling away from the blonde's lips as her fingers slowly moved within the blonde's spasming body.

Emma gasped, still clutching to Regina as she slowly came down from her climax. It was a beautiful thing seeing the brunette's smiling face as she opened her eyes, soft chocolate staring right back at her.

"I hope that was satisfactory." Regina hummed lightly, pulling her fingers from the blonde and her hand out of those fluffy pants. She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Emma's red, swollen lips.

"It was…" The blonde tried to catch her breath and nodded. "We've got to take it slow some day."

"Don't worry, angel, we will." Regina chuckled softly, using the back of her knuckles to caress Emma's cheek. "But, currently, I have to finish up with these assignments. It's getting rather late and I don't think we want to be too tired in the morning."

"Of course not." Emma shook her head and watched as the brunette shifted to sit beside her. Regina fixed her glasses, which had become askew at some point, and snatched up the notebook that she had abandoned before their short session.

Emma looked at the older woman who had went straight back to reading the paper and frowned. She didn't seem to pay any mind to the blonde, nor what they had just done. Or more so what Regina had just done. Emma wasn't able to please her and that was rather bothersome. She always enjoyed giving something back to the older woman.

Shifting slightly, the blonde brought a leg up under herself and leaned closer to the brunette. Regina slid closer to the blonde, allowing Emma's hand to wrap around her shoulders, but made no other move. Emma frowned again.

"Gina-"

"You never answered me on what this was." Regina glanced up, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "This isn't your vacation. It's… It's porn."

"It's not porn." Emma huffed softly, eyes falling on the paper. She smirked at the scene that Regina was currently reading. The blonde had decided to take a different spin to the winter break story. She had blocked everything else that happened out into vague paragraphs before describing her time at Regina's. She wrote in detail what they had done, to whatever extent that she could remember, though with characters that she had made up to portray the two of them so it would have been less awkward. She figured that the teacher would get a kick out of it, but she looked less than amused at the moment.

"Then what do you call describing sexual activity in writing?" Regina glanced up.

"What happened is true," she shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

"It's quite inappropriate, Emma. That's the deal." The brunette teacher lifted the notebook. "You… you described what happened on Christmas."

"I'm sorry." Emma quickly murmured. "If it makes you feel uncomfortable… I just thought I would do this, using the pseudo names for us. It would be different since you already know how I spent my winter break."

"It's…" Regina nibbled on her lower lip as Emma quirked a brow. "It's very interesting."

"Is it hot?" The blonde smirked, kissing Regina's cheek. "Are you getting, dare I say, aroused?"

"Even more than I already was, dear," the brunette breathed, lips parting.

"Why don't you continue to read it?" Emma whispered, laying her head on the brunette's shoulder. Her hand rest on the brunette's lap, next to the notebook that she still held.

"I can't read this out loud…" Regina mumbled, staring at Emma with incredulous eyes.

"Then read it in your head." A pale hand inched its way under the fluffy panda pants, soon finding- to Emma's suspicions- Regina's soaked folds.

A soft moan tumbled from the brunette's mouth as the blonde teasingly ran her fingers along the slick flesh, dipping occasionally between lips.

" _Oh_ , Emma," Regina's hips shifted, grinding against her hand.

"Read," the blonde quietly instructed and she nodded, whisky eyes focused on the words that Emma had written. The younger woman smirked, head still on the brunette's shoulder as she read along with her, fingers parting her folds to seek out the delicate bud of nerves.

Regina nearly cried out when Emma had found it, breaking her concentration on the reading for but a moment before she went back, two of her digits circling Regina's clitoris in tight motions.

"I-I don't think I can concentrate, dear," Regina moaned, hips bucking up against Emma's and as she continued with her movements.

"That's fine," Emma purred, making her rubs faster until Regina's moans were filling the void air, her breathing hard and ragged.

Emma smiled absently, watching the myriad of pleasured expression cross over her lover's face. She looked absolutely gorgeous when she was in pleasure. Watching Regina was something that the blonde had always fancied. She enjoyed the several expressions that the brunette had made, and not a one of them ever made her look ugly. Regina was all around perfect and Emma was absolutely lucky that she had her. Regina was hers and she was Regina's.

It was so perfect.

" _Emma!_ " Regina's shrill cry echoed through the room and Emma smirked, her pace still going steady as the older woman had achieved orgasm. Her body shook and her hips ceased their movements as she rode it out with the blonde's help. Emma held Regina close to her, fingers slowing their pace now as the brunette had slowly fallen from her high. Her breath was shallow as she laid against Emma, her body shuddering still with the aftermath of her pleasurable flight.

Emma quickly slipped her hand out of the older woman's bottoms and sat there for a moment, holding Regina's shaking frame close to her. She smiled. She was definitely lucky. She brought this perfect woman to a beautiful release. It was something not many people could have the pleasure of doing.

"Recreating porn." Emma whispered, giving the older woman a squeeze.

"We created new porn, dear." Regina chuckled, closing the notebook before she slowly pulled away from Emma. The teacher leaned forward to grab another paper and brought it back with her. "Now, I must get these finished."

"I know," she mumbled, retrieving Belle's and Killina's assignments to continue reading. "At least you can do it more comfortably."

"Indeed," Regina chuckled, shifting into a new position as she began to read through the newest paper in hand.

* * *

The month of January had been rather mundane. Each day felt the same and all Emma had wished to do was get through each day of school. She was about ready to cry out in frustration. She wanted to get the hell out of high school. She wanted it over with.

Regina and her friends were the only things that were making school the least bit tolerable. But each day blurred together as she neared the end of the school year. Her time with Regina seemed to be the only thing that really made it all better. If she were without that woman, this time would be just as it was last year. It would be a day where she'd wake up only to want to go back to sleep for the next day to come.

That's all she wanted to do. She just wanted to sleep the days away. She wanted the last day of school to come. She wanted to graduate from Storybrooke High and get the hell away. The only things she'd really miss about this little town would be her friends and foster parents.

Regina was coming with her. She would lock that woman up in a suitcase if need be. The only skepticism she had about moving to Boston with the teacher was about living situations. She wasn't sure if what life would have been like if the two of them were to live together. Before the month of January, she had only spent little time with the brunette. She wasn't aware of what it might be like to live in a daily routine with the woman.

But after this month had ended, she was rather sure that she could handle living with Regina in any type of living situation. Hell, she couldn't imagine living anywhere else without her. After the month's end, she wasn't sure what life was like without spending it day in and day out with Regina.

It was impossible to imagine, and that was why she had told Mary Margaret that she was happy in her current living situation. Her foster mother was rather let down at this news when she had told her. Of course, Emma had felt rather guilty about this. The Nolans had taken care of her for three and a half years, after all. Which was why she had agreed to visit them often, to check in and whatnot.

It wasn't exactly a tedious task, but Emma knew that she'd have to remember to do so. That wasn't exactly something in her mindset, though. Keeping in contact with people was her weak point. She had troubles remembering to talk to people when they tell her to keep in contact, especially when she would be getting distracted. Something like Boston.

That's why Emma had told all of this to Regina. The woman had a better sense than she when it came to these type of things. The brunette was supposed to remind her to visit her foster parents from time to time, thought she normally would have just dropped Emma off at the Nolans' apartment after a school day. It was the easiest way for them deal with the situation and it quite helped Emma.

She had visited them at least twice a week and she occasionally had stayed over on the weekends. It was hell for her to get away from Regina, but once she had clicked back into the family life with David and Mary Margaret, it hadn't been so bad. She loved all three of them dearly and would do anything to keep them all happy.

Today was supposed to have been one of those days that she would go visit the Nolans. It was the first of February and normally she would have gone straight over after school, but she had different plans.

Plans that Regina had known since the day had actually evolved around her.

It was Regina's birthday. Her thirty-eighth birthday, to be precise.

Emma wanted to spend the full day with the older woman and that's just how they were going to have it. She had already told her foster parents that she couldn't make it over today since there was special plans for someone's birthday. She was thankful that they didn't argue over the subject, though she had bargained to spend tomorrow with them instead anyways. That made all happy and she had succeeded in her job.

Emma didn't necessarily have too much planned out for Regina's birthday. She was going to play it by ear and wing most of it. Once they would get home, she was going to give Regina her birthday gift, which was rather hard to acquire since the two of them were together almost constantly.

But she had managed to sneak out one day while the brunette was napping and nab a gift from the store that she had seen a while back. It had made her think of Regina, and she hoped that the brunette would enjoy it, or else she would have screwed up big time.

After giving Regina her birthday gift, Emma had planned on making her a special birthday dinner. They had a couple of steaks in the freezer that they hadn't gotten to and she figured, since Regina quite liked steak, that she could use a little technique she had learned from Mary Margaret. It made one delicious, flavorful slab of meat and she wanted to share the juicy meal with her lover.

So, the night before, she had set the meats in the fridge in hopes to thaw them out. For the sides, she had decided to find something stocked up in Regina's cupboards. She wasn't sure what was in there, but she was certain that she could find at least  _something_  to make for the brunette.

Emma had bounced out of the car as soon as they had arrived home and ran to the door, leaving a chuckling Regina in her wake. She pulled her copy key to the front door out of her pocket and unlocked it, only to rush inside and upstairs to where the gift await in one of the hall closets.

"Where do you want me, dear?" Regina called out from downstairs as the blonde hurriedly dropped her bag and coat off in the bedroom.

"In the living room is fine!" Emma giggled anxiously, the smile on her face wide as she rushed to the closet in the hallways. She had hoped to hide Regina's gift in one of the closets a while back. She wasn't sure if the brunette would be aware or not of where she had hid it, but Emma had blurted out to the older woman that she had bought her a gift, much to Regina's dismay. She couldn't keep her trap shut long enough to make it a surprise, but so long as Regina hadn't found her gift before today, it still would be somewhat of one.

"I'm coming! Close your eyes!" Emma shouted from the top of the stairs, the bag that held the brunette's gift in hand.

"Alright, dear." She heard Regina's melodical laughter echo from the living room.

Emma had hurriedly made her way down the stairs and to that very room in a matter of moments. Regina was sitting on the couch, eyes closed as she awaited whatever surprise that the blonde had in store for her.

"You can open them!" Emma stood in front of the birthday girl, holding out the bright red gift bag.

"Oh! I've always wanted a bag." Regina smirked, grabbing the bag from her girlfriend.

"Oh, hardy har har." The blonde sneered and sat next to the brunette, watching her through anxious eyes. "Open it!"

"Alright…" Regina chuckled and opened the bag, blinking when she saw nothing but tissue paper. With a soft huff, the brunette picked out a piece of the balled up tissue and tossed it aside, only for the doorbell to ring.

"Seriously?" Emma glared into the foyer. She gave a petulant pout when the brunette stood up, setting the unopened gift down to answer the door.

"I'll be back, dear." She hummed and swiftly left the room, another dingdong from the door sounding.

"Stupid people…" Emma sighed softly, leaning back against the couch. Her eyes slid around the room that she had been in so many times. She wouldn't mind packing up the entire mansion and wheeling it off to Boston. She loved this place. She didn't want to leave it, but that was the price for wanting Regina to come with her.

"Mother? What are you doing here?"

Emma quickly perked up at the sound of Regina's voice.  _Mother?_

Cora was here?

 _Oh shit_.

Emma felt panic begin to rise within her. What was she going to do? Cora couldn't know that she was here and the sound of conversation only grew louder. It was Regina's mother's voice that could be heard the loudest as her daughter seemed to hastily chase after her, begging her not to come into the living room.

Panic had completely seized Emma as she remained frozen in her spot.

She was fucked.

Cora was almost to the sitting room and she couldn't move.

All she could do was sit and watch as the inevitable drew closer.


	24. Motherly Intentions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, that had certainly taken me longer than I had wished for it to. I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter, and the delay on the story in its entirety. For those of you who are still with us, thank you for your patience! I had lost my internet for the last month and I took the golden opportunity to steal some from Starbucks for a bit.
> 
> Here's to strong coffee and free internet!
> 
> Also, this will not be all that there is. I am splitting this chapter into two, since it had become so long, in case you wanted to break and not read all 26,000+ words.
> 
> And I shall let you in on a little thing here that I have planned, the next chapter (well, chapter 26) might be the last chapter (but I do not promise anything!) I have the feeling that this story should be drawing to a close, and I have... roughly planned on how I am going to go about it.
> 
> Without further ado, I shall let you be and read on! Again, I do apologize and I thank you very much for your concerns. I am okay, to whatever extent "okay" will define! I will see you again with the next update whenever I get internet access again. So, until then, I shall enjoy watching more movies, reading more books, and playing more Fallout 3... and writing the rest of the story!

_Shit shit shit shit…._

Emma stared at the doorway, willing her body to move from her current frozen position. Cora was almost to the sitting room, which had only spiked the blonde's adrenaline higher, causing her to shake in her spot. She was quite sure that Regina was silently urging her to leave, because whatever may happen when the teacher's mother had entered the room and saw the student on that couch would be inevitable.

Their relationship would no doubt be over.

Emma was too sure of that because by how Regina had described her mother, she was just the type to peel the two of them apart. No matter what it took. The blonde was ready to fight and do whatever she had to in order to keep her brunette lover. But she wouldn't even get a swing in if that lawyer stepped through the door.

So Emma had scrambled out of her seat as if it were on fire and  _ran_. She didn't bother to pay attention to where she was running to, no. She opened the first door in sight and stepped through, quietly closing the door behind her.

Unfortunately, she found herself in a small broom closet, but it was better than being seen by Cora. Oh, she would  _definitely_ hide in a closet if it meant saving her relationship with Regina, even if she were slightly claustrophobic. She'd be willing to go anywhere and do anything if it meant just that.

Emma sighed softly and stepped away from the door, only to ram the back of her head right into a shelf. The pain wasn't anything as she jumped slightly, hands raised in the air against the shelf. A soft "shh" fell from her lips as she stared with narrowed eyes in the inky air, assuming that's where the shelf had been. She was more worried about the noise that it had made than anything.

She couldn't risk getting herself exposed, even if she were down the hall and surely far away enough from the sitting room to be heard.

Emma carefully ducked her head down as she moved to press herself against the wall, slowly sliding down it. Unfortunately, that had triggered the broom to fall on her, making another loud rustle as it collided with another object that the blonde had assumed was the mop. She scrambled to keep them from knocking anything else over and held them close to her, staring wide-eyed at the door as if expecting it to pop open any moment.

"Stupid broom..." she muttered softly under her breath, something barely a whisper as she pushed the two household tools onto the floor in front of her. Why couldn't she had ran into a bathroom? At least she'd have light and not the current headache from the meeting with the shelf.

Emma lay her head against the wall behind her, an exasperated sigh falling from her lips. She was stuck in here for who only knows how long. It was dark, small, and getting rather warm. Sooner or later, she would have to get the hell out of here before she thought too much about the enclosed space and panicked.

Perhaps she should tell Regina where she went. The brunette could distract her mother long enough for the blonde to get the hell out of Dodge and find a larger room to hide in, more preferably a bathroom.

Emma squirmed a bit and pressed her legs together as her bladder complained. Normally the blonde didn't use the restroom at school and today was no exception. She hadn't bothered to use it upon arriving home in the excitement of Regina's birthday. She wanted to get that damned present to the older woman before anything else.

Of course, now that the blonde had thought about it, she regretted it more than anything.

For the sake of her full bladder, Emma quickly pawed at her pocket to retrieve her phone... only to find that it was empty.

"Shit..." she breathed. It must have fallen out on the couch.

She was fucked.

* * *

"I told you there was nothing, or anyone, in here." Regina looked around the sitting room as she had followed her mother inside, the butterflies rapidly fluttering about had fallen to the pit of her stomach when she had noticed Emma was gone. She knew the blonde would be smart enough to evacuate before Cora could see her.

"Then why insist I not come in here?" The older woman turned to her daughter, a soft smirk on her lips, though there was something that of disappointment in her eyes as if she had been expecting something.

Of course, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know of her disappointment. She was hoping Emma would be in here so she could say that she had caught her daughter redhanded.

Regina was, once again, thankful that Emma knew better than to stay in there. Although, the teacher didn't have a doubt in her mind of the blonde. That was one of the reasons why she had risked so much just to be with Emma. That was one of the reasons why she loved her.

The brunette caught herself smiling at the thought. Hopefully her mother wouldn't try to destroy what she had tried so hard to build. Regina was finally happy for once in her life. She felt fulfilled. She felt  _whole_ with the blonde there by her side. She wouldn't know what she would do if Cora had ever decided to take all of that away from her.

Regina wouldn't be able to breathe without Emma.

That was why she must keep her mother from ever finding out about her, because if she did, she would manipulate the both of them into splitting up. And that was whether they wanted to or not. She had her ways, and oh, were they ever inhumane.

"What's this?" Cora queried, drawing the brunette teacher from her thoughts.

Regina glanced up from her spot in the doorway, only to notice that her mother was no longer in front of her and had made her way to the couch where she and Emma had been only minutes before. She had noticed that her mother was holding the red gift bag that Emma had given her. The one that held the birthday present that she hadn't had the chance to open.

"It's a gift, Mother." Regina pushed herself away from the doorframe and stalked across the room to rip the bag from the older woman's hand just before she was about to look inside. "And I would appreciate it if you were to not snoop through my personal items."

"What is it?" She asked, quirking a brow at the bag before lifting her whiskey gaze to meet with Regina's.

The teacher rolled her eyes, setting the bag onto the coffee table. "I don't know. I hadn't had a chance to open it yet."

"Who gave it to you?" Cora's question was asked directly after her daughter had finished speaking. The younger brunette narrowed her eyes. Her mother was never one to be subtle when it came to prying into her life.

"That is none of your business, Mother-"

"Is it from your  _girlfriend?_ " The last word was a sneer as she took a step forward, getting up into Regina's personal space.

"What are you doing here, Mother?" Regina avoided answering the question, her gaze faltering.

Cora had been so insistent on trying to get into Regina's house that she had avoided the question upon her arrival. Though, she had answered now with a grin that Regina knew was all too faked. "Can I not visit my daughter on her birthday?"

"Since when do you give a damn about my birthday, Mother?" Regina hissed. "You have never bothered to visit me before on my birthday. When was the last time we spent the first of February together?"

"Oh, darling, don't be like that…"

"I know you're playing bullshit. Why are you here, Mother?"

"Like I had said, I only wanted to visit you. I have a… gift for you." The older woman's lips curled into a tight-lipped smile, the irritation on her face visible from a mile away.

Regina clucked her tongue, knowing that there was more to her mother's visit than her petty excuse. She had something planned. She  _knew_  and she had something  _planned_ , and that had only struck fear through the younger brunette. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end the more her mother grinned at her, those eyes sparkling with knowledge.

"Mother…"

"I'm dying, Regina. Just let me spend time with you?"

 _Oh._  She pulled  _that_  card directly out of her ass. Regina could literally  _smell_  the pile of shit reeking from her mother's mouth. That woman had something up her sleeve and it was only making Regina all the more anxious to get Emma the hell out of her house.

She couldn't risk the blonde's exposure, not if her mother had suspicions of her being here. Cora just  _knew_ , Regina knew just that much. Why else would she look as if she were the cat that had caught the canary?

The gift that Emma had intended for Regina's birthday present had more than likely fueled those suspicions.

Regina needed to get Emma the hell out of here before Cora ever found her. But the question was: How?

How would she be able to sneak Emma out of the house with Cora breathing down her neck? She needed to get her mother out of the house as well, or at least distract her with something else while she got her girlfriend the hell out of her.

That was, if Emma hadn't already left.

 _Oh God_ , did she hope that the blonde had left the house as well.

"Regina? Are you even listening to me?"

"What?" Regina shook her head, Cora's question shaking her from her worried thoughts.

"I swear to God, woman, sometimes I wonder if you are even worth the trouble." Cora's eyes narrowed on her daughter before she moved from her spot. She paced over to the television, her fingers sliding across the surface of it as Regina watched her every movement through way eyes.

"As I was saying, I will be in town for a few days. I would like to spend them with you before I take that special trip to hell." Cora turned, giving her daughter a soft smirk. "Perhaps I will be lucky enough to meet… the woman that had seemed to have stolen your heart."

"Not a chance, Mother." Regina shook her head, her gaze falling to the couch for a moment. She moved to gaze back to her mother, but something had caught her eye. Something that she hadn't seen there before.

It was Emma's cell phone.

 _Shit_.

Regina smiled at her mother, moving to stand in front of the phone so the older woman wouldn't see it. Hopefully Cora hadn't seen it already.

The older woman had noticed her daughter's strange behaviour, though she hadn't said a thing as she merely shook her head and proceeded towards the door. Regina watched her, curious as to where she was going. Had she said?

"I will be staying with you," she paused for a moment, looking back at Regina with a wide smile. A smile too wide for the brunette teacher's liking. There was something in that expression that told her there was more to that statement than she was letting on. What was this woman up to?

Then Cora's words hit her like a hand upside the head. She was going to be staying here?

Sudden panic flooded the brunette and her eyes went wide. What was she going to do? Emma was living here now and she just couldn't kick her out during her mother's stay. This was one of those moments in life where she just wanted to crawl under a rock and forget the world.

Cora's appearance in town was way too risky on her and Emma's relationship. Her mother would no doubt find out sooner rather than later. That woman had a knack for snooping which made it rather hard to keep things hidden from her.

"I will grab my things from the car." Cora hummed before disappearing out of the room. Moments later, the front door clicked shut and Regina was moving through the house to find Emma.

"Emma?" She shouted. Her mother wouldn't be able to hear her as she traveled deeper into the house. Her muddy orbs trekked the halls and each room, opening closed doors in search for the blonde teenager. Where on Earth was she?

"Emma? Are you still in here?"

"Yes!" Regina stopped suddenly when she heard the blonde's response, relief and dread both flooding through her. She quickly looked down the hall where she heard Emma's voice and saw her stumbled out of the broom closet, the mop following after her.

"I have to  _pee_." The blonde stared at her with wild eyes before shooting off to the bathroom just down the hall. Regina chuckled softly and quickly followed her, entering the bathroom with the blonde. She needed to get her the hell out of the house, or at least keep her hidden some time longer, though there was no telling when she'd ever be able to get her mother distracted long enough to get Emma the hell out of here.

Emma was on the toilet as Regina closed the door behind her. This wasn't an odd occurrence for them. Often times they interrupted each other while the other was using the toilet, though they tended to try giving each other their privacy if need be. The normal excuse for breaking into the bathroom with the other occupying it was either under important circumstances or a clingy mood.

The blonde just looked up at her expectantly, a look of slight worry on her face.

She sensed this was not a clingy moment and Regina's heart went out to her. The brunette leaned against the wall across from her, nibbling on her lower lip.

"My mother wants to stay here for a few days." Regina blurted immediately. There was no use sugar-coating it when they had very limited time.

"Should I leave?" Emma gazed up at her, frowning.

Her emerald hues were what had gotten the brunette and she frowned, because she couldn't just kick her out. She wanted her to stay. But there would be untold consequences if her mother knew of the blonde and the circumstance of their relationship. Emma appeared young, and if that wouldn't be a red flag to Cora, she would eventually find out when the two of them left in the morning- especially with the blonde carrying her backpack out.

It would be a whole different universe if Cora were to accept their relationship. If it wasn't for the fact that it was with the same gender, it would be the age difference and the frowned upon teacher-student relationship. Regina's mother would no doubt try to break them up and the brunette could already imagine the threats she would throw at her and none of them were pleasant. Her life would be flushed right down the toilet.

"I don't want you to leave," Regina finally sighed, looking down. "You live here now and I do not feel that it is right if I were to force you to leave."

"But you don't want your mother to find out about us." Emma murmured, finishing the thought that the brunette teacher was leading up to. "I understand that, Gina. And I will leave to protect us."

"Emma, I quite regret having to do this."

"So long as I can come back after she leaves. Besides," she gazed up, forcing a hopeful smile on her face. "We can still see each other at school. Maybe you can stay after and we can spend some time with each other?"

Regina smiled softly at Emma's reassurances and nodded, her heart squeezing in her chest. "God, I love you, Emma."

The smile that Emma had given her had completely melted her heart, forming it into a puddle at her feet. "I love you, too, Gina."

Regina couldn't help but to let the faintest of squeaks fall from her lips at those words. Her heart felt as if an intangible source was squeezing it where it lie, everything about the blonde bringing her to a state of absolute adoration. She couldn't help but to love that adorable blonde in front of her. She tried her damnedest to make her feel better and Regina appreciated that.

The brunette teacher sighed happily and closed the distance between them, bending her head to capture the blonde's lips with her own. Emma gasped underneath her, though she felt her arms wrap around her waist as she pressed herself up into the kiss. Their lips moved to a perfect beat, though it hadn't lasted long when Cora's voice rang through the large house.

"Shit," Emma murmured, staring up at Regina with those large, green eyes. "What the hell am I going to do?"

"I-I don't know…" Regina pulled away and paced about the small lavatory, donning a worried expression.

"I suppose I can hide out in here for a while… At least it'll be better than the broom closet?" Emma offered, giving her a sheepish smile. "Though, I left my phone somewhere…"

"It's right here." Regina quickly pulled said object out of her bra, handing it to her lover. She had grabbed it before going on her search for the blonde earlier. She figured the blonde would need it if she had ever found her, and lo and behold, she did.

"Thanks," the blonde gladly took the object.

"I can message you when it will be safe for you to come out." Regina glanced to the door worriedly as her mother's voice had grown louder.

"I'm in the bathroom! Almost done, mother." She called towards the door, her voice lowering when she spoke to the blonde in a hushed whisper. "I will try to keep her away from this bathroom, alright? I am so sorry that I have to put you through this…"

"Don't sweat it, Gina." Emma offered her a smile. "I'm doing this because I love you and what we have. I will do  _anything_  to protect that, even if that means hiding in a broom closet or a bathroom for hours at a time."

Regina let out a strangled laugh and pressed a kiss to the blonde's forehead. "I truly do love you, Emma."

"Good," she beamed. "Though, are you really going to kiss me again on the toilet?"

The brunette paused, midway through planting another kiss on Emma's lips. She offered her a sheepish smile and shrugged. "I do not care where you're at, my duck."

"Well, do me a favor, don't fuck me and make us known to your mother." Emma gave her a wry look, leaving Regina to playfully hit her arm.

"I will message you when it's safe." Regina pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Now, get off the toilet and flush it for my mother's sake."

"Alright!" Emma finished her business and quickly moved to wash her hand. "But you owe me for this."

"I will do anything." Regina hummed with relief, moving to wrap her arms around Emma from behind. She set her head on the blonde's shoulder, making eye contact with her through the mirror. "Just not right now because, knowing my mother, she will beat the door down if I don't get out of here soon."

"I wish you luck with your mother." Emma leaned back against her.

"Thank you." Regina quickly kissed her cheek before pulling away and heading towards the door. Without another word, she opened it and slipped out, relieved when she found that the hallway was empty. At least her mother hadn't taken the liberty to wait for her out here.

"Are you out, Regina?"

"Yes, Mother." The brunette made her way back to the living room where her mother stood with her bags. Clearly she hadn't taken the liberty to put her belongings into the guest room, either. "Are you planning on staying in the sitting room?"

"Oh, this…" Cora chuckled, though it lacked any humor as she glanced down to her bags before gazing back up to her newly-arrived daughter. "I was worried about you, darling. I couldn't seem to find you when I had first entered."

"Well, I am here and I am fine. You can take the guest room that you usually do." The brunette teacher had made her way to the older woman, her arms extended as if to shoo her away to do just that.

Though, Cora didn't seem to have it as she remained in her spot, darks eyes casting a malevolent look upon her daughter. "What is the rush, my love?"

Regina faltered, her brows furrowed. "I had only figured that you would want to settle in before we do anything else." The ever growing suspicion in her mother's eyes had intensified, sending a panic signal to Regina's brain. She didn't want to alert her mother on any suspicious activity going on, because if she had succeeded in doing that, Cora would surely find Emma.

Cora's eyes narrowed as if she were contemplating what the younger brunette had said, and Regina thought she was going to call her out on it before she burst into a smile and nodded. "Of course, Regina. It would give us more time later to spend together."

Relief filtered through her rather slowly, because she may have curbed her mother's suspicions for now, but she knew that they were still there. She had to pursue her acting skills and pretend to be calm, despite the ever growing worry gnawing at her brain.

"Indeed," she nodded in agreement, gesturing towards the bags. "Shall I help?"

"I can manage by myself." Cora nodded, picking both her luggage bags up with a smile that pricked the very hairs on the back of Regina's neck. "Why don't you make us a snack? I am rather peckish after the flight."

The alarm bells in Regina's mind went off at the suggestion her mother had given. She could smell it from a mile away. Her mother no doubt wanted to snoop and the teacher had a feeling she knew where the first place would be.

"But dinner will be soon-"She had tried to argue, hoping that it would bring her mother's mind from the idea, though Cora had interrupted her before she could further protest.

"We can have a late dinner out."Cora let the smile on her face only curve wider. "My treat."

"But, Mother…"

" _My treat_." She had repeated in a tone that implied no more arguments.

Regina sighed in defeat. No matter what she would do to argue, her mother would win. Cora had always won, but she never played fair.

"What would you like for a snack, then, Mother?" She grit her teeth, hoping whatever it was that her mother had 'craved' would be something simple and easy to make. Regina would need to find a way to keep her mother away from the bathroom. Perhaps she could follow behind her and leave her at the stairs.

There was no way that she was going to let Cora rummage through her house because she knew she would try to find Emma.

Perhaps she should warn the blonde when she went to the kitchen?

Cora smiled, moving towards the door with her daughter hot on her trail. "Good girl. Why don't you make us a couple of sandwiches. That could tide us over until then, yes?"

"Of course, Mother." Regina nodded, a grin on her face. Sandwiches were rather simple to make. She could half-assed make them before her mother would finish putting her things away upstairs.

Everything seemed to be going according to the plan that Regina had made mere moments before. Her mother was already on the first step in the foyer as Regina had paused to look up at her. She would be sure to see her mother up before she would ever go in to make their snacks.

"Any specified kind?"

"Any would do." Cora returned the polite grin that her daughter had given her, ascending another step. "Now be quick with it. I hadn't eaten yet today."

"Of course, Mother." Regina abided, watching as her mother had made her way to the top landing before heading off to the kitchen.

Perhaps she had nothing to worry about. Maybe Cora had only wanted to put her items away and was truly hungry for a simple snack. Maybe she didn't want to snoop around the house after all. She hadn't tried to delay her actions for going upstairs nor did she try to remain downstairs either.

"Nothing to worry about, at all." The brunette mumbled to herself as she collected the items needed to make the sandwiches her mother had requested.

But before she had started preparing them, she had pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through to find Emma's name in her messages. The blonde couldn't leave just yet without risk, but she could be informed of the dinner out later as a means of escape. Just hopefully the teenager would be alright for a few hours until then in the bathroom.

Regina's heart sank as she began to type out the message of the plans for later. She felt so horrible that she had to force Emma to stay holed up in the smallest bathroom of her own home.

Sometimes she had found their relationship to be rather difficult and quite risky. It was, as is, since she was working within the very school that Emma had attended. But it had felt even more so with Cora around. The rising panic and constant worry was ceaseless, and all of it had made Regina feel rather sick.

And the very worrisome panic had eluded Regina into sending another message to the blonde.

_**Also, my mother is out of my sight. I trust that she is upstairs unpacking, but I cannot be sure. Watch out in case. Use the shower to hide if she tries for the bathroom.** _

Setting the phone aside, she felt some of the tension relieve itself. The warning that she had given Emma seemed to have eased her to some extent.

The house was quiet.

That was good. Silence meant her mother wasn't moving around downstairs. That means she wasn't looking for Emma- at least down here, anyways. She could try as she might on the second floor, but she would never succeed.

Regina got to putting the second sandwich together when her phone buzzed, flashing to life with a new message. Grinning, she picked the device up and read the newest reply from Emma. Though, that grin had quickly disappeared into a frown as the two words burned into her brain. She barely had enough time to process them before dropping her phone back onto the counter and rushed off across the house.

Because those words said: " _Too late,"_ and that had meant Cora had somehow found Emma without Regina's immediate knowledge. She hadn't heard her mother come back down the stairs, and the usual creaking would have alerted her, even if the attempt were to be furtive.

When Regina had finally reached the sitting room, she was confronted by her mother's angry and rather disappointed stare as Emma sat on the couch with an apologetic look. Cora was holding up the blonde's cellphone, a devious grin on her face.

"You cannot deny it now, my love." She tossed the cellular device onto the couch next to the blonde teenager as she stalked towards her daughter, tsking as she drew closer. "I cannot  _believe_  that you would ever lie to me."

The blood in Regina's body had  _boiled_  at that statement. She cannot believe that she had lied to her? What about the bullshit that she had spewed at Regina for being here in the first place?

"Oh, I cannot believe  _you_ , Mother. I should have known that your little spiel about wanting a snack was only to get me away so you could  _snoop._ "

"And my snooping need was satisfied when I had found what you were trying so hard to hide from me." Cora laughed coldly, her head shaking. "Did you honestly think that you could ever hide  _her_  from me?"

"One could only hope, but my ever prying Mother is not one give in so easily." Regina sneered, moving towards the blonde. She let her eyes rove over her lover's body, inspecting for any damage that her mother might have done. Knowing Cora, she would go apeshit on the woman that her daughter was associated with. That, or just leave like she had the first time.

"Don't worry, darling, I didn't hurt her if that's what you're thinking." Cora rolled her eyes, turning to face the two with a smirk that Regina wanted to smack right off her face. "She's a  _minor_  after all, is she not?"

"Not technically." Emma butted in, but Regina shot her a glare.

 _Emma_. Always the one to speak when she shouldn't. Regina loved that girl dearly, but sometimes she just needed to shut the hell up before she got them into a deeper pit of shit than they were already in.

" _Not technically,_  she says." Cora gave a humorless laugh, her position had changed once again. She had now moved to stand next to her daughter, though her eyes were locked in with fiery emerald ones, which had only caused that smirk on her face to grow. "But is she not one of your students?"

"Mother..."

"No, no, darling. Do tell answer me." The older brunette snapped her gaze up to meet with Regina's, her eyes twinkling with a knowledge that the latter wasn't exactly sure of.

Just how much did her mother know?

"Is she not the one that I have heard about from your dear sister, Zelena? The one that was here the day that she had visited?"

Regina closed her eyes. She had blanked about Zelena ever visiting, which was the day that Emma had also been over. Emma was here. Zelena had seen her. Zelena had also written a letter to Cora about it.

Is that how she knew? Those two weren't associating with one another, were they?

No. Her mother had never said she had a good relationship with the redhead. Did she?

But the point of that didn't matter at the moment. Her current worry was how the hell was she going to exactly explain this to her mother without sounding like a disgusting human being. And how the hell was she going to get out of this with her and Emma's relationship still being alive?

Regina knew that her mother would do  _anything_  to split them apart, especially now that she had living proof. It would be in the brunette teacher's best effort to persuade her mother not to destroy their relationship. She would have to show her just how happy she was with Emma and just how much they had loved each other. Though, Cora was never one of those people who dealt with love very well. She was never one to believe in it, so what made her think that she would give a hoot about their love? She would more likely rather watch them burn.

That was Cora.

She enjoyed destroying lives. She enjoyed arguing to points. She enjoyed manipulating. That was why she was a lawyer in the first place. That was why Regina never won.

"Yes," she finally answered, chocolate orbs opening to meet with her lover's emerald ones. Looking into those vast oceanic pools of everlasting love could always render her into a melted puddle. Just looking into them now, in the midst of tension and panic, she could feel herself slipping. She could feel the ground below her merging with her entire being as she slowly dripped onto its surface.

A soft smile curved her lips upwards. No matter the situation, no matter the threat, the two of them could get through this. She could read the reassuring words that Emma was telling in those very orbs. They were enough.

"That is  _disgusting_ , Regina." Cora clucked.

Her words had broke their contact, ripping Regina back into the conscious reality that they were currently living. She glared towards her mother, that sweet and loving smile on her face had soon vanished, turning into a scowl.

"And why might that be, Mother?" She inquired haughtily, though she had a feeling that she already knew of the reason.

And Cora's words had confirmed it. "She is a child, Regina. Honestly, are you so desperate as to snatch up the first girl that bats her lashes at you?"

"That is not how it is, Mother. You do not understand-"

"Oh, I think I do understand, Regina. I understand that you need more help than I could ever give." The older woman hissed, looking as if her head were about to explode.

Regina, though, didn't seem to care of her anger. She was far too used to her mother's short temper and anything that came with it. She was prepared and she would not go down without a fight. She wouldn't let her mother control her life. Not again.

"I don't need any help, Mother." The brunette teacher grit her teeth together, her hands flexing at her sides.

Emma had looked between the two of them, quite unsure of what she should do. She wasn't exactly welcome to speak in this moment, but she knew something big was going to happen. It didn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out that the shit was hitting the fan.

And Regina looked as if she wanted to tear her smug mother's head clear off her body. The blonde frowned to herself, her emerald gaze falling to her brunette lover's hands. She definitely looked as if she were about to rip Cora's head off.

"Gina..." she whispered softly, reaching forward to grab the hand closest to her. Regina had changed positions at some point to face her mother, but that did not affect Emma any. She would rather not see that horrible look on the teacher's face. It was rather terrifying and she hoped that she wouldn't bring Regina to that point herself in the future. She would probably lose within seconds because that was scary as hell.

Emma had felt a tightened grip on her hand after a moment and looked up to be met with soft, chocolate eyes. She tried to offer a smile, a smile that would reassure her that they would get through this.

Regina sighed softly and nodded, her entire body relaxing as she spoke, though to her mother as she continued to gaze into those very eyes that had forced her into an entirely different mood.

"I love her, Mother."

"I don't care if you love her. I didn't ask if you loved her, Regina." Cora scoffed, her eyes on their intertwined hands. There was something that flashed briefly over her face, but it was gone before either of the other women could decipher it.

"You will never succeed in tearing us apart." Regina continued, brushing off what her mother had just said. "I do not care what you try. I am sick of you trying to control my life. So what if I prefer women over men? It isn't like I cannot produce children, if that is what you're always so worried about."

"That isn't, at all, what I'm worried about. You do not understand how I feel, Regina. Was it because you did not have a father figure while growing up? Is it my fault that you had turned out like this?"

"I am not deformed, Mother! I am fine!" Regina's grip on Emma's hand had tightened incredibly, her anger rising through the roof. She heard the blonde make a soft noise below her, but she hadn't let up as she proceeded to argue with her mother.

"You are sick, Regina. This is not normal!"

"Yes it is, Mother!" Regina could strangle that woman. This was an argument they have had time and time again, and it had always ended the same way. She only hoped that her mother would leave this time as well. "Quite a bit of the population are just like me. It is natural. It is psychological. We are born like this. I was born this way."

"So you are telling me that you were born to chase after little girls?"

"No, Mother. That is most certainly not what I am telling you." The English teacher pinched the bridge of her nose, an annoyed sigh falling from her lips. "Why are you even here? You never come visit me unless you want something, Mother. I assume that you have found it, now, haven't you? Emma was the reason why you're here."

Cora was taken aback by the sudden subject change, but that didn't falter her mood any. She continued to wear the same scowl on her lips as she sneered her next words. "I came here to put an end to whatever it is that you have."

"It really is not that simple, Mother. What are you going to threaten me with? I had already declared that I do not want your business. Why don't you give it to Zelena? She seems to be so eager for the position."

"I am not here about that, darling." Her mother suddenly changed her pace of mood, a much lighter tone to her voice. Much sweeter that it had only raised the hairs on Regina's arms. "I have something to wager that I am quite sure you cannot deny."

"And whatever might that be?" Regina rolled her eyes, impatience taking a tone to her already wary voice.

"Gina, I think I know what she has up her sleeve..." Emma stood from her spot, looking worriedly into her brunette lover's eyes. It was her hand this time to tighten its grip.

"Oh! It seems that she's smarter than she lets on. Let us hear her assumption. Perhaps I wouldn't have to break out the dramatic threat myself." Cora smirked, an eerie aura surrounding her as she gazed at the young blonde who had stood stark and proud next to Regina.

Emma didn't meet her gaze, instead, she continued to stare at Regina as she nibbled on her lower lip. Clearly whatever she had been thinking was something worrying, especially the way that she was in great hesitation.

"What is it?" Regina asked tentatively, dread suddenly filling her because she might have just thought of what her mother was going to use against her.

"Your job," she simply stated, her voice void of emotion as she had realized just what that meant.

That was exactly what the brunette had just thought of so suddenly. How she never could have was beyond her. But that had meant her own mother would use her teaching job against her if that meant breaking the two of them up. Cora was ever the twisted woman and Regina despised it. She could never be happy without her mother intervening at some point.

She should have known everything was going too well for her. She had been happy and life was perfect with Emma here by her side. But now all of that was going to get flushed down the drain because her mother did not approve of it. Everything that Regina had ever worked for was going to disappear with the snap of her mother's fingers.

She was either going to lose the person that she loved the most, or her job. It would have been a thoughtless act to choose Emma over her job, but if her mother was going to use the latter against her relationship with the blonde, there would be more to it than unemployment.

Regina would surely go to prison if Cora would consult the authorities about it, and she no doubt would. Even if she wouldn't, she would still go to the school board and tell them of the relationship that Regina had with the blonde student. The school board would take great action and everything would go to hell.

Regina would lose her life and everything that she had worked for up to this point.

That was what had the brunette conflicted. She was absolutely screwed either way. What choice did she have to make? She would rather there be a third option of crawling under a rock and never coming out again.

"You can't do that!" Regina heard Emma exclaim, now facing the oldest woman with a glare. "That's just fucked up. Would you really do that to your own daughter?"

"She needs help, don't you understand, child? You need help, too. Why aren't your parents helping you?" Cora narrowed her eyes in return, causing the brunette teacher to move closer to the blonde. She had no doubt her mother would attack Emma and she wasn't about to let that happen.

"Because my parents accept who I am." Emma retorted, this time taking a step towards Cora. Regina had pulled her back, though, before she could get closer to the smirking woman and wrapped an arm around her.

"Emma. No." Regina let the younger woman relax against her and sighed, her hand absently rubbing Emma's side. "Mother. Are you so cruel enough to threaten that of me? Both are my life and you know it, or perhaps you wouldn't because you have no idea what love is."

_Slap._

Cora's hand met Regina's face quite hard, forcing the latter's head to the side. She made no sound, though her cheek stung from the contact as she felt Emma's arm wrap tightly around her. She donned an angry expression, her emerald orbs piercing Cora.

"How dare you say that to me, Regina Mills?" Cora hissed, her voice something menacing that sent shivers down Regina's spine.

This was the voice she used just before making things physical. Regina subtly moved closer to Emma, hoping that her mother wouldn't try something in front of the blonde more than she already had.

"You have never loved me, Mother. How could you say that you do when you threaten me with things like this?" Regina growled. She knew her words were asking for her to get slapped again.

And so she was. Cora didn't have any of what she had said, slapping the brunette teacher hard across the face. The sound of skin-on-skin contact had echoed through the room, almost deafening for the blonde standing beside Regina.

Emma had frowned upon the contact and only squeezed Regina tighter, a soft gasp falling from her lips. She was now witnessing firsthand what Cora does to her own daughter. And it wasn't anything pleasant, just as she had suspected. She wished she could do something for her brunette girlfriend, but it was something impossibly dangerous. Besides, what could she do?

"Cannot handle the truth, can you?" Regina continued without hesitation. She had straightened back out, rubbing her reddening cheek for but a moment. "You are so pathetic. Why do I even bother with living like this? I could have my own life. My own house. My own job. But instead, I fell back on you. I allowed you to do all of this for me and I should have not. I should have just stayed away when you had kicked me out. I would have been better off without you and your offerings."

Though once those words were out of her mouth, she had wanted to stuff them back in, all for more reasons than just one.

"The only good thing that came out of this was Emma." She quickly mended, pressing a kiss to the blonde's lips. Emma had blinked at the unexpected contact, but soon melted into it as the brunette had only embraced her in both arms.

"That is enough, Regina." Cora growled, and before the brunette could even have a chance to pull away from the kiss that she had initiated, she was pulled back by her hair. Regina squawked in surprise at the rough contact, falling back roughly onto the ground as her mother moved to loom over her, everything darkened in her angry state. Her eyes were narrowed slits, the displeasure from Regina's actions had been quite evident on her twisted features, leaving the teacher to immediately regret everything that she had just done. Her mother was not going to falter with Emma here.

No.

She seemed to take pleasure in having an audience, or so the younger brunette had assumed when Cora knelt down. Her mother was straddling her waist before she knew it with her arms pinned helplessly above her head in one of the older woman's strong hands as the other gripped her neck, much like she had on the night she had arrive just months earlier. There was no hesitation as she squeezed at her throat, earning a choked cough from Regina as she struggled against her mother.

"Mother. Let me go." Regina gasped desperately, succeeding in pushing the smaller woman off her. She made no hesitation to stand up, gathering the blonde up in her arms. "I want you to get out of here, Emma, before you get hurt."

"I can't leave you here with her." Emma quickly shook her head, her brows furrowing at her as if she had sprouted a second head.

"There is nothing that you can do to help me, dear." The English teacher sighed softly, eyeing her mother as the older woman had finally stood. Cora hadn't made an effort to move, though. She had only glared at them with fiery eyes, burning with what Regina could guess was pure, unadulterated fury.

Emma, on the other hand, had given Regina a look that had told her she wasn't going to leave. There was nothing going to change the stubborn blonde's mind, and that had only worried Regina more. Who only knows what her mother would do to Emma? Cora was capable of many things and they were dangerous.

Regina couldn't help but to feel entirely responsible if Emma were to get hurt under her mother's hand. There was no way she would let that happen, so she had to figure a plan to keep the eighteen-year-old safe. Whatever that might be.

"I do not understand your affinity for this girl." Cora hissed finally, breaking her from the worries burning on the edge of her mind. "It is disgusting, Regina."

"Mother! You don't even know her." Regina snarled, standing in front of the blonde now, turning a glare on the woman who had given her life. Cora was one too quick to judge and she never took things into consideration. If she didn't like something, or someone, she wouldn't care to give them a chance. She would push them aside because it is what she felt was right.

She doesn't dare venture into the book based on the cover that it has offered her. Regina needed to force that book open before her mother could reject it. She needed for her to read the contents inside and study of them. Then she could judge. But the only question now was: how?

"Why should I?"

"Because your daughter loves her and there is nothing that will ever change that." The brunette closed her eyes for a moment, reaching blindly behind her to take hold of the blonde's hand. The softest of smiles lilted her lips when she felt Emma readily take the hand, giving it a squeeze. "Look, Mother, I want you to read the pages before you throw the book away."

Regina now opened her eyes, not missing the disgusted look on her face before it had cleared. Would her mother ever comply with her? Would she be willing to fulfill her desires, or would she just pass them off like she did most of the time?

Cora had a habit of making her daughter feel like a worthless piece of trash. It was Emma that had changed that. She had shown her that she was worth something. She had shown her that Regina could trust another without getting her heart torn from her chest.

Emma had loved her.

She still loves her.

And that made Regina's heart soar. She couldn't give her blonde lover up so quickly. In honesty, Regina would rather die than have to release Emma from her hold, especially under her mother's threats.

"Why should I read these pages when it is nothing but a trashy novel?" Cora spat, causing the younger brunette to flinch. "Frankly, Regina, I would rather you throw out what has been used and start fresh."

"With a man." Regina finished her mother's unsaid thought. She was quite sure that's what Cora had wanted. She wanted Regina to be with a man, and she could not fathom why. Her mother hadn't even been with anyone as far as she knew.

Unless her father was nothing more than a sperm donor to get Regina.

That thought made the brunette sick to her stomach. She couldn't think about such a sweet man being used by the likes of her heartless mother.

"Mother, listen to me." The brunette quickly said before Cora could open her mouth to say anything about Regina's latest comment. Her head was about to be severed, she was quite sure. "Emma lives here."

It had taken the older woman a moment to process what Regina had told her before she spoke. Though the look on her face was naught of surprise, but of something that the teacher could not quite place. Why did it look as if she knew?

"Why is she living with you? Does she not have her own parents? This girl is underage."

Regina could not help but to cling to her mother's seconds question: Does she not have her own parents? Was Cora implying that Regina was old enough to be Emma's mother? Of course, logically speaking, it was true. But it had still hurt nonetheless. She loved Emma dearly and her mother only toyed with the emotions that she had. Cora didn't take any of this seriously and played it out as if it were nothing but a game.

It was rather sickening. Cora held Regina's future in the palm of her hand. No matter what the brunette would do, something bad would no doubt happen. Cora could report her to the school over this if she did not comply with her wishes, even if she were to kick her mother out of her house right now. There was still that chance that she knew the older woman would no doubt take.

"I'm eighteen," she heard Emma behind her speak, stepping to the teacher's side once again.

"How convenient."

"Shut up, Mother." Regina grit her teeth, her grip on the blonde's hand only tightened. "She had a fallout with her parents and I had let her stay here until she sorted it out. She decided to move in after patching things up and I did not mind. I do not mind. I will never mind."

"Oh, how sweet!" Cora's voice was nothing but sugar as she spoke, sweet and sickeningly so, and it had Regina cringing. "Now you can play house."

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose once again, a habit she had formed from Cora's constant taunts. She could already feel a migraine starting behind her left eyeball. "Mother! I will not hear of it. Will you stop taunting our relationship? I know that she is incredibly younger than I am, but so what? There are eighty-year-olds married to twenty-year-olds, and it isn't even for love!"

"But at least it's legal, Regina." The older brunette smirked, her head shaking as she took a step towards the two. "Darling, why do you not give your relationship up? It's risky, anyways. I highly doubt that you would ever want to lose your job over it?"

"I find Emma quite worth the risk, Mother. The funny thing is, you find love where you least expect it, and when you do find it, you better grab that opportunity because you never know when you will ever find it again." Regina started the shorter woman down, daring her to make another move.

When her mother hadn't said a word, she had continued. "Look, I want you to see our relationship in progress. Give it a chance. I... cannot let you do this to us, Mother. We had worked so hard to get to this point and for you to come in like a tornado and blow us apart would only be a tragedy that I wouldn't be able to survive."

Cora stayed silent, contemplating the information that her daughter had given her. Regina could only stare at her. She didn't want to go on an overload, because her mother would surely decline then.

Cora was something like that. Fed too much, she will only vomit it back up. Regina had only learned that too many times throughout her life.

"Say I do what you suggest," she had finally said in a slow, contemplative voice. "Would you really think that it would change my mind?"

"I would only have hope for the better." Regina answered. That was the idea of this operation. She wanted to change her mother's mind and hope that she would see just how much she did love Emma, and how happy they actually were together. One could only hope and she had her fingers crossed.

"I highly doubt that it would, but," Cora crossed her arms, wearing a smirk that took Regina aback. What cogs were rolling in that woman's mind? "I will give you until I leave in one week's time. I do not guarantee that you will change my mind, ever, but I will give you hope. Show me why this is worth such a risk."

"Thank you, Mother..." Regina could cry with relief. She had found herself hugging the older woman in front of her, more than grateful that she had given her this chance.

"This will be my birthday gift to you, Regina." Cora had tentatively hugged the younger brunette in return. "You have one last week to spend with this... girl."

Regina nodded, pulling from her mother's grip to stand next to Emma once again. This time, she had wrapped an arm around her waist, the upturn of her lips rather faint, but still there.

"Did you make those sandwiches?" Cora queried after a moment's silence. She turned from the two of them, moving towards the door. "I was not lying when I had said I was hungry."

"Yes. I made two." Regina bit her lower lip as she moved to follow her mother to the kitchen, Emma still attached to her side. "You can have them. We'll find something else, I'm sure."

"There are steaks." Emma murmured, grinning up at her brunette lover. "I wanted to make them for you for dinner."

"That might be too heavy." The brunette teacher pursed her lips together, eyes floating to her mother watching them on the opposite side of the kitchen.

Cora had said something about going out later for dinner, but then again, that was before she had discovered Emma. It would be rather risky for the three of them to go to a restaurant, at least in town. And she wasn't quite certain that her mother would have any desire to dine with the two of them.

The older woman had set down the sandwich that she had just about to take a bite from and folded her hands together, her sparkling orbs flicking between the blonde and the brunette. "Now, don't be silly, Regina. You can let... Emma here fix you up the steaks, and I will even head off to the grocery store to pick up a third. We can dine in tonight if she has something special planned for your birthday."

"Mother," Regina had started, her lips parted as if she were going to continue, but her mother had waved a hand in the air, immediately cutting her off.

"I will not hear of it. If she wishes to make you dinner, so be it. At least let there be enough for us all." Cora smirked slowly, almost as if she had something planned, before turning to get a box of plastic wrap from one of the drawers behind her. "I will even make my own."

"Mother, you don't have to do that. I'm sure we can-"

"Gina," Emma had interrupted her this time, though the gentle squeeze to her hand had been far more settling than the chill that ran down her spine from her mother's. "That steak won't last much longer. We might as well just eat it tonight, anyways." There was a single moment's pause before she hesitantly turned her emerald gaze to land upon the eldest woman. "And don't worry about making your own. I don't mind cooking up all three. It will be far easier, anyways."

"If you seem to be so sure of yourself," Cora's lips twitched as she set the plate of sandwiches into the fridge and moved towards the two. Her spicy perfume engulfed Regina's senses, causing her muscles to tense.

The scent of her lover and her mother mingling together was nothing pleasant. It had only spelled danger. Cora's presence here was nothing as she had told. That woman had some tricky business up her sleeve that Regina couldn't quite put a finger on it just yet. Her mother was rather hard to read, the words on her pages were not easily discernible if skimmed over. No. She had to study her in order to find out just what information that she held and that would be proven as something difficult.

"I am." Emma murmured, her eyes darting over Cora's features before averting. "Uh... I'm gonna go see what we have to make with it." She quickly moved off, leaving Regina and her mother alone.

Regina frowned at the sight of her lover moving away. This wasn't going to be an easy week for any of them, she could sense that.

Cora would hate every moment watching her daughter with a woman, Emma would be too frazzled and terrified to do or say anything in front of Cora, and Regina was going to be the one in the middle, worrying herself sick about everything going on around her.

"I suppose I should be going. I don't think we want to waste any more time than we already had, now do you?" Cora drew the younger brunette's attention her way, a smile full on her lips.

"Of course not, Mother."

"Do you require anything while I'm there?" She had moved now, her tracks leading towards the door. Regina merely shook her head, unable to think of anything at the moment and watched as she disappeared into the hall.

It wasn't but a heartbeat later that Emma had popped out of the pantry with a box of pasta in one hand and a small bag of potatoes in the other. "Which starch goes better with steak?"

Regina quietly pointed to the potato bag, a brow quirked at the blonde's sudden relaxed physique. She had continued to watch on as Emma had moved to set the pasta back on its designated shelf before dealing with the starch vegetable.

"Emma?" The teacher quirked a brow at the younger woman's nonchalance as she went through the procedure of washing and peeling the potatoes. "What are you doing?"

"Peeling potatoes to make mashed potatoes." Then Emma paused, the peeler halfway down the current potato before she glanced up at her brunette lover with widened eyes. "Unless you want them baked, then I screwed up horribly."

"No... No, mashed are fine." Regina gave her a reassuring smile before heading towards her, her arms slipping around her waist from behind. She felt the blonde stiffen for a moment before relaxing into the grip to proceed with her current action.

"You seem much more relaxed than you were earlier."

Emma was quiet for a moment as she set the potato aside and grabbed for another. "I'm trying to pretend that everything is normal right now. It's just you and I." The blonde sighed softly, the arms around her squeezing. "Honestly, Gina? I'm scared shitless by what she's going to do. I don't... want to lose you."

"I know, baby girl." The older woman dipped her head down, pressing a tender kiss to Emma's cheek. She gently plucked the potato and peeler from the blonde's hands, setting them aside before slipping her fingers between the paler digits. "I don't want to lose you, either, and I will be damned if I ever let her win. You won't lose me. Not so easily."

"Please don't let that be a lie, Regina." Emma leaned fully back against the older woman's body, her eyes closing as she let the scent of her lover fill her senses. The soft feeling of gentle hands caressing her own was enough to let her slip into a momentary state of tranquilization.

Regina took a deep inhalation of air, her grip never faltering on the blonde woman in her arms. "I cannot promise anything, Emma."

And she couldn't. She couldn't promise that they would stay together forever. She couldn't promise that her mother would let them stay together. It had hurt her deeply that she couldn't promise even the simplest of joys to Emma. That blossoming woman deserved so much more than this. She deserved more than to be in an inevitable relationship that would ultimately get her hurt.

Regina didn't want for her young lover to be damaged once more. That for them would only cause for far more destruction than they were willing to take. The two of them could not survive this. They were tied to a bomb and Cora had the trigger.

"But I will promise you this," she murmured after a moment's silence, her fingers curling tighter into the blonde's hand. "I promise that I will stop at nothing to keep us together and if I fail... if I fail, then I am better off alone. I will hate myself too much if I allow for her to tear us apart. You wouldn't deserve such a horrible excuse for a human such as I."

"Regina, don't speak like that." Emma had wormed around in her arms, turning to face the older woman. Her vibrant, green eyes were shimmering with tears unshed. "Gina, listen..." She reached up and cupped Regina's tawny cheek, her thumb caressing the smooth surface. "I love you, and I always will. We will find a way to be together no matter what because you're the only one that I want. You're the only puzzle piece that I can connect with, and without you here... I'm incomplete."

That had tugged something in Regina's heart because the next thing she knew, her vision was far blurrier than before as something wet rolled down her cheeks. Her arms tightened around the smaller frame before her, a smile so bright, it could melt the sun itself.

"You have your moments, Emma Swan, and that's what I quite love about you." She sniffled her nose, trying to sober herself up. "You can be smart as hell and just as sweet."

"Thank you, thank you." Emma smirked, wiping those tears from her lover's face before placing a gentle kiss on plump, pink lips.

But that gentle kiss was nothing but as Regina didn't allow her to pull away. She had, instead, kissed the blonde back heatedly, taking Emma by surprise. A groan fell from the blonde's lips as she matched the other woman for each move she made.

The brunette hummed, her hands falling against Emma's bum to press her closer, a sudden desire sweeping through her and roaring to life in her lower belly. She daintily ran her tongue across the crease of the blonde's lips, soon gaining access to her sweet mouth. That very tongue was pushed out by Emma's own in a desperate duel to gain dominance.

A muffled plea rose up in the brunette's through, almost inaudible but when Emma had pushed her back against the counter, she knew she had been heard. The answer was frantically given as the blonde had urged for Regina to hop up onto the counter, their kiss broken for only but a moment.

Regina had fulfilled the request and pulled Emma closer to her, their lips crashing together in another heated kiss as the latter woman's fingers fumbled with the teacher's dress. She hiked the skirt of it up, the palms of her hands pressing flat against olive thighs. The older woman had wrapped her legs around Emma's waist, her hips thrusting forward as if pleading for her to continue.

Emma smirked against Regina's lips when those pale finger proceeded towards the English teacher's aching center. The brunette bit her lip as the heat had concentrated itself into her very core, the desperation to be touched only growing by the moment. She could almost feel it, her hips jerking forward once again with success when Emma's fingers had collided with her.

"Please, Emma..." Regina had pleaded, their kiss breaking as her head fell back. Emma's lips attached themselves to her exposed throat just as she pushed the damp panties aside and thrust two fingers into her.

The well-needed contact had exploded pleasure throughout the brunette, causing her to gasp into the air. Her fingers had tightened around the blonde's arms as she met each thrust, her hips moving off the counter every so often.

At that point, everything logical had swept from her mind. Everything including the fact that her mother would be due home at any moment now. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind as she continued to rock herself against the now trio of digits pumping furiously into her.

Though, it had when there was a horrified voice calling her name from the opposite side of the kitchen. Regina's eyes had immediately popped open from their drooped state, her head whipping up to spot her mother staring at the two of them with a face of both horror and disgust.

Emma had ceased all movement upon hearing the ungodly shriek, her eyes wide as she stared at her brunette lover, who had much reflected her visage.

"Mother!" The brunette finally was able to make sense of the situation, the word being the only thing that had brought to the forefront of her mind.

This had definitely taken her back to when she had been a teenager. Her mother had caught her in the act then, as well, though the circumstances were quite different now. Cora couldn't throw her out on her own this time. But there was no telling what she might do.

"Get out of my daughter!" Cora screeched, slamming the bag that she had been carrying onto the island counter.

It wasn't until then that Regina had noticed Emma had been too shocked to even remove her fingers from the older woman. But that didn't serve as a problem now because those digits were out of the brunette faster than if her insides had been on fire.

"I'm sorry!" Emma raised her hands, taking a step back.

"Emma..." Regina clucked her tongue, smacking her arm to make her put them down. "You don't need to apologize to her. I wanted this, Mother. It's my fault. The least we could have done was get up to the bedroom."

The brunette hopped off the counter, her cheeks heating as she had finally gained realization of her current position, and pulled her dress down. She raised her eyes to her mother's angry complexion, nearly flinching at the intense emotion burning in her eyes.

"That is just disgusting, Regina." Cora growled, no sooner bringing a hand to slap across the brunette's face.

Regina blinked, almost unsure of what the hell had happened until the skin of her cheek had started to sting. "Mother?"

"You are lucky that I am allowing for you two to be together for the week that I am here." The older woman merely rolled her eyes at her daughter's reaction before turning her attention to the abandoned potatoes behind them. "But you won't be if I catch you two doing this again. At least have enough decency to keep your atrocious lifestyle in that closet of yours where no one has to see it. More especially me."

"I'm sorry, Mother..." Regina sighed, closing her eyes. It wasn't going to be easy getting used to having her mother around. She and Emma never denied themselves pleasure, no matter where they were in the house. But now they had to because they would never know when Cora would so happen to walk in. They'd have to limit it to their bedroom until she left... That was, if Cora didn't go through with her threat.

"You will be, darling." Cora cast a glare to her daughter before turning to face the panic-stricken blonde who had been watching through wide eyes. "And you, you're making dinner. Do it."

"Yes. Of course." Emma quickly nodded, looking so unlike herself as she moved jerkily towards the potatoes, but not before Cora had stopped her.

"And wash your hands before you do. I beg of you." Her gaze flicked to Emma's fingers before quickly latching onto Regina's wrist. "And you're coming with me, Regina."

"Wh-what?" Regina blinked with surprise, but she was already being drug from the kitchen. She looked back at Emma with sympathetic eyes as the blonde washed her hands.

This next week will be absolute hell.

* * *

"Dinner was wonderful, Emma. Don't listen to my mother." Emma looked up from the bed as her brunette partner had stepped out of the dress she was wearing. "She can be quite the bitch, I will not deny that."

"So I have seen in these painful seven hours." The blonde's attention was focused on other things that weren't exactly concerning Cora, though, as those emerald irises of hers had ate up every last scrumptious bit of Regina's soft, tan body.

But there was quite some truth to those painful seven hours. Emma had been on edge the entire evening, feeling as if Regina's mother had been breathing down her neck. The scene in the kitchen had never helped the matter and now she was almost too afraid to sleep, fearing that she would get slaughtered during slumber.

Of course, that was silly to think and Regina was right there next to her. But those worrisome thoughts never eased as the night drew to an end. It was almost midnight now and Emma couldn't be more happier, or petrified.

This wasn't exactly what Emma had planned for Regina's birthday to be. She wanted to make a special, romantic meal for the two of them to sit and enjoy each other's company to. Not get her meal criticized by an unwanted third party with a bad attitude. And the gift that she had planned on Regina opening, and hopefully loving, to not be tossed aside still unopened in the bag by that same third party.

At least the two of them could still share that moment together, alone, as Regina would open it up. Emma had brought the bag up to the bedroom later on during the night in hopes that the brunette would get to it before her birthday would be over.

The clock was nearing midnight, and increasingly so. It didn't matter all too much if she were to open it after midnight, but it would be nice if at least one thing went as planned during February first.

Unlike the meal that she had worked so hard to make, only for it to virtually be dumped in the trash by Cora. The meal in which Regina was apologizing for.

"Don't worry about it," she mumbled, her eyes sliding up to meet Regina's. "I'm sure it was bad, anyways."

"But it wasn't, Emma." Regina smiled softly at her before turning to hang her dress back up in the closet. The blonde's eyes fell to her plump behind and the generous amount of flesh exposed by the small, lace and satin that she wore.

"I guess as long as you liked it, Gina, that's all that matters. It was for you, anyways." Emma rolled towards her edge of the bed and reached down to grab the bag with Regina's gift in it before the woman could return.

By the time that she had, Regina had donned a pair of her satin pajamas and a smile as she shuffled over to the bed. Emma held up the red gift bag that had been in her lap, returning the smile.

"And I hope you'll like this, too." She handed it over as soon as Regina got comfortable and waited anxiously. This had been the first thing that she wanted to happen today, and that had been the fuel of her excitement to get through the day. But, of course, nothing ever goes according to plan, and alas, Cora had shown up.

But now there were no interruptions and no rude comments.

Unless Regina hated the gift.

But Emma was sure that was unlikely, no matter how much it made her seem so very high of herself by even thinking that.

"What is this?" Regina blinked slightly before a flicker of recognition passed over her features, ending with an upward curve on those perfect lips. "Oh! I nearly forgot about this. Emma, you know that you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but you got me something for my birthday and so much more. This is the least I can do." Emma smiled softly, her hand coming up to absently play with the swan pendant around her neck.

"Sometimes you are too sweet and I simply do not know what I will do with you." Regina leaned over to drop a kiss on the blonde's nose before drawing her attention to the gift bag once again. This time there were no interruptions to stop her from removing the tissue paper, the gift slowly unveiling.

Emma squeaked softly as she watched Regina gasp and pull the fluffy, stuffed panda from the bag. "I know it isn't no Mr. Pervert like you have over there, but I hope you like it. A-And look! It even has your name on the little collar thing."

Though, the collar had been an addition made by Emma. She bought a normal, black collar from the store and had found a machine that made customized nametags. The blonde hadn't been all too sure what to engrave on the little golden heart, so she had put in Regina's name instead of the other nonsensical things she had thought up.

"I love him, Emma." Regina smiled widely, hugging the stuffed panda close before drawing the envious blonde into her arms. "He is wonderful and I will cherish him forever."

"And look on the back." Emma reached towards the little heart tag to turn it around, showing the three little words on the opposite side of Regina's name.

"'I love you,'" Regina read, the smile turning soft. "Oh, that is so sweet, Emma."

"But it's true, so." The blonde shifted in her spot, leaning slightly against Regina's arm as the older woman had continued to admire the gift. When the brunette had looked up upon hearing those words, Emma had offered her sheepish grin.

The brunette chuckled softly at this, leaning down to drop a soft kiss to her forehead. "And I love you, Emma."

Emma giggled softly, shifting up in her spot once again as Regina had moved to set the stuffed panda on the night stand. She had also taken the liberty to flick off the lamp, leaving the two of them to get swallowed up by the sudden dark void. This had the blonde blinking for a moment, trying to adjust to the new lighting, or lack thereof.

And when she finally had, she was pulled down onto the bed by a shadow at her had only earned another giggle from her as she realized the source was Regina, and she was currently coddling her under the blankets with a soft giggle of her own.

"We should sleep." She whispered, stealing a quick kiss from Emma.

The blonde couldn't help but to giggle again at this gesture. Regina could certainly be adorable and childish when she wanted to, though that wasn't exactly often. But when she did, Emma couldn't help but to be easily humored by it. And as her eyes had adjusted more to the darkness, she was able to make out the basics of her lover's face.

The smile there melted her heart.

"But it's the weekend?" Emma finally realized what Regina had whispered, her brows furrowing at the thought. Normally they stayed up well past midnight on the weekends. Sometimes they wouldn't even go to bed at all.

"My mother is an early riser." Emma couldn't help not to miss the sudden sullen tone Regina's voice had taken. "It would be best if we were to sleep early to get a good night's rest or we'll be crabby as hell and my mother will only make it worse."

"I guess that means bye-bye sleeping in until the afternoon." The blonde mumbled under her breath.

"I'm sorry, Emma." Regina's voice was like a lullaby as she whispered those words into Emma's ear. Perhaps it would be easier than she thought to find slumber earlier than she was acquired to. She felt herself grow tired already. The warmth of the blanket was like an incubator with the combined heat of her's and Regina's and the arms wrapped around her were a sort of security.

"Don't be." She murmured softly, wiggling closer against the brunette as she opened her eyes. "I'm tired anyways."

A smile bloomed across Regina's features. Soft and sweet were her eyes as she ducked forward to steal another kiss. "Then I suppose we should sleep?"

"Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?" Emma yawned her words, drawing them out as she had shifted away slightly to gaze into those dark, sparkling orbs. The brunette had merely nodded at her words, the upturn of her lips still there.

"Unless you're planning something."

"No. Of course not, Emma." Regina hummed, nosing closer to her before dropping another kiss to her lips. "Unless, of course, you have something planned?"

Emma's brow quirked at the question. Was she suggesting what Emma thought she was suggesting? Suddenly a slight smirk scorched the blonde's features and she leaned in to steal a much longer kiss from Regina.

The brunette had gasped softly from the sudden contact, moving to return it only for Emma to pull back. "That's payback."

"Payback?" Regina quirked a brow, wetting her lips as she searched the blonde's face.

"For stealing those kisses, silly." Emma smirked, shifting herself closer into Regina's personal bubble. The teacher made a soft noise, her breath hitching as their bodies had pressed against one another.

"You're quite something, Emma." Regina clucked, her hand drifting down the blonde's side. Emma shivered at the contact, her back arching slightly as the dormant desire in her body had roared to life. She itched for more contact and she was sure Regina felt the same because she was now forcing the younger woman onto her back.

The older woman smiled down as she had hovered over her, hands planted on the pillow on either side of Emma's head. Regina's own head had lowered, closer and closer to Emma's until their lips were but a breadth apart.

"You have two options, Emma." The teacher whispered huskily, her hot, moist breath falling against the blonde's skin in steady puffs.

"And what might they be?" Emma's emerald irises fell to Regina's plump lips before rising up to meet with coffee eyes.

"We can either a) sleep, or b)..." A salacious smirk soon replaced the sweet smile on the older woman's face as she closed the distance between them. Emma groaned into the kiss, her lips sliding in perfect harmony with her brunette lover's before the latter of the two quickly pulled away.

"I take it someone wants birthday sex?" Emma nibbled on her lower lip, the ever growing smirk on her face only expanded. " _Tsk, tsk_. We're supposed to be going to sleep."

"Well, we can if you want." Regina gave her a look before changing position, rolling off the blonde and back to her previous position. "I can just... take care of myself."

"Oh no you don't!" Emma's eyes widened when the older woman had suggested that, her hand flying to Regina's wrist to keep her from moving the hand. "If you're going to do that, then at least let me do it."

"I thought so." The English teacher's lips twitched as she watched the blonde slowly release her grip.

Emma's eyes narrowed at her, her nose crinkling slightly as she slowly rolled herself on top of the brunette in a position much like Regina's previous one. The older woman had giggled, the vibrations coursing throughout her body had tickled something in the blonde to join in as well until the two of them were nothing but a mass of madness.

It was Regina who had broke their uproarious laughter with a soft kiss to the blonde's lips, stunning her momentarily. She blinked, unable to make a sound when the older of the two had stared at her with smiling, dark chocolate eyes.

"My mother is in the other room." She whispered softly, stealing, yet again, another kiss. "I don't think she would appreciate us waking her."

"No shit. Especially after the kitchen thing." Emma murmured in return, succumbing to the brunette's dominance as she flipped them over. The blonde stared up at the darkened figure of her lover, almost a shadow in the inky room, with an anxious smile on her lips.

"So that means you'll have to be quiet." Regina hummed, head lowering out of view.

Emma gasped softly when she felt teeth nip delicately at her earlobe as one of the brunette's hands had moved from its dormant state, all too quickly finding the blonde's aching core through her cotton shorts. A soft moan erupted from Emma's lips at the added sensation, her back arching upward as she urged her hips against the hand cupping her.

"That might be difficult." Emma breathed, Regina's hand rubbing her roughly through the thin material. And just as she had finished her sentence, the brunette's fingers had pressed against the sensitive bud which had earned a hearty groan that had the teacher's hand slapping over her student's mouth in a heart beat.

"Shh, Emma. Not so loud." The older woman pulled her hand away before sliding her hands to the blonde's hips, silencing the whine that she was about to give. "I know you're used to making love in a house alone, but..."

"Revert back to the apartment, got it." Emma smirked, her hips rising in aid as her shorts, and panties alike, were being pulled down her milky thighs.

"Back to the apartment?" Regina had tossed the clothing onto the floor, eyes focused in on the forest eyes below her.

Emma smirked in return, her pale digits falling down her lover's sides to tug at the smooth, satin material of her pajama pants. "Well, I did have to be quiet when I... pleased myself."

"I see..." The brunette growled her words. She slapped Emma's hands away from her pants, moving to pull them off herself before repositioning herself above the younger woman.

"Does that make you... hot?" The blonde couldn't help but to smirk, her hands finding purchase on the teacher's hips once again. This time, she had let them explore the olive toned expanse of skin. One of them teased the intimate patch of curls, her fingers combing delicately through the short hairs as the older woman had responded with quiet mewls.

"I don't want to dirty talk, Emma," she murmured, her hips lowering the wet heat against Emma's stomach as they slowly rocked. "I want for you to touch me. I want you to make love to me, Emma."

A gentle smile graced the blonde's features as she nodded, her arms moving to wrap around Regina before she rolled the two of them over. A soft gasp left Regina's lips, hitting Emma's face as a hot puff of air. She smirked and lowered her lips to the pink ones below hers, a knee nudging Regina's thighs apart to press against her center.

"Yes..." The word was a gasping whisper as it fell from Regina's lips. Emma smiled in satisfaction as this, her knee grinding against the older woman's slowly moving hips. Their lips had returned to one another's again, the blonde's sliding over the brunette's as olive digits curled in golden locks.

Emma's entire body hummed with pleasure as she had rocked her own body against her brunette lover's thigh. They had moved in perfect harmony, gasping softly against each other's lips and cheeks as they attempted to remain quiet.

"Regina." The blonde choked against said woman's cheek when fingers had snuck their way under her shirt and up her smooth stomach. The muscles clenched anxiously at the sensation as the rolling of her hips nearly ceased when she jerked against the hand, her eyes widening.

Regina merely smirked, her other hand soon joining to tug the shirt up and over the blonde's head, with a few urging gestures. That piece of cloth had soon been tossed off to the side along with their other discarded attire.

"Your turn, baby." Emma murmured, pressing a finger to Regina's chest before moving to unbutton the pajama blouse that she wore. A smirk played on her lips as she watched the brunette's eyes burning into her.

"I do hope you hurry, sweetheart, because I am absolutely-"

Emma had pressed a finger to Regina's mouth to cut her off, the smirk on her lips only growing in size. "No dirty talk, Gina, as you had said."

"Being bitten by my own words. How classic." Regina groaned softly, jerking her hips up as Emma had managed to finally pull the fancy fabric from her. A pale hand fell to the newly exposed flesh before her, eyes eating up the sight as it swallowed down straight to her already aching core. The sensitive flesh thrummed, desperate for more contact than it was receiving.

Regina, though, didn't seem to take that into account. Even if she were feeling the same, she still seemed to take it lazily slow. Her olive fingers slid against Emma's pale flesh, exploring every inch exposed to her. They moved up her back, the warmth of her palms relaxing the blonde's body as she slowly melted into the touch. A pale smile spread across her lips at the gentle contact.

The hand on the older woman's breast had fallen away to give Emma the sight of the beauty it beheld. It was a sight that Emma had never wanted to be laid to waste, so she admired it for the time being as Regina's hand had continued to explore. The pad of her thumb brushed lightly over the brunette teacher's nipple, causing it to tighten the more she had made contact with it.

The breathless moan below her had only given her encouragement as she continued to gently tease the pert little bud, her fingers moving soon enough to roll it between them, earning a heartier noise this time.

"Mm, Emma..." Regina groaned softly, her chest thrusting up against the blonde's hand, urging her hips forward as well. "Please, touch me."

Emma nodded slightly, shifting that hand down her side with a soft smirk as Regina shuddered underneath her with a hum. Just as the blonde's hand had met with her lover's awaiting folds, she felt a hand slip up between her own thighs. A sharp gasp left her lips upon the new contact, her hips grinding down against the exploring fingers.

Regina stared up at her, teeth biting into her lower lip as she watched the shades of pleasure float across her features. Emma tried her best to suppress the moan bubbling rapidly in her throat as she forcefully thrust two digits into the older woman. Unfortunately, this had earned a soft yelp from said woman, chocolate orbs widening in shock from both the sound and sudden addition.

"Sorry." The blonde muttered sheepishly as she set a pace, her fingers not hesitating to pump in and out of her lover's body. Her leg had long moved, though she still remained mounted to the muscular tan one.

"Don't... worry about it, Emma." The words were nothing but groans as Regina tried to meet each of the blonde's thrusts, her slender fingers slipping between the younger woman's folds to find the sensitive bundle of nerves.

The circular movements had Emma gasping, soft squeaks falling from her lips as she tried desperately to keep the sounds in her throat. It was with Regina's help that that had been possible as the older woman kissed her, hard and long as their bodies moved once again at a harmonized pace. Emma's fingers thrust into Regina, her pace quickening in time with the brunette's own pace, her breath growing more ragged by the minute.

"Please..." she moaned against her lips, a third digit worming its way into her lover's slick heat. Her plea was fulfilled when the older woman slipped a digit into her, pushing it all the way to its knuckle. The blonde couldn't help the new moan that fell from her lips as she shifted her hips to urge that appendage in deeper.

"I-I love you, Emma!" Regina cried out, causing the blonde's eyes to widen before she slapped a hand over her lover's mouth. Emma's fingers pumped faster, getting harder with each thrust as she felt the older woman start to tighten around her. The brunette only stared at her with widened eyes at the entire situation, though her own movements had never faltered, instead, they had only sped to match Emma's pace.

"I love you, too, Gina." Emma finally had managed to pant in return as she continued to roll her hips against Regina's fingers and thigh, her thrusts nearly weakening until she felt the older woman's body contract and shudder around her as she had reached her climax.

"Oh, yes," she didn't let that cry be hushed. The blonde helped her ride it out, biting her lower lip as the brunette's movements had become jerky and slow. Emma smirked widely, pulling those digits out to clean as if she were a cat with a satisfactory catch.

"Your... turn..." Regina huffed, her breathing shallow as she picked up the speed of her fingers, two rubbing tight circles around the blonde's clitoris as another pumped wildly into her entrance. It wasn't long until Emma felt the pressure building up within her. Her movements themselves had become slower, yet still frantic as she searched for the release that she had longed for.

And she had found it, her body shuddering when she curled up against Regina with a soft cry, face burying into her neck. She didn't move when her body had relaxed, instead she had only curled up more against her lover as the older woman's fingers trailed up and down her back, tracing absent shapes against her pale flesh.

"I hope you enjoyed the second half of your birthday gift." Emma smirked softly, wriggling up to place a sweet kiss to her lips. Regina merely chuckled with a shake of her head, those digits moving up to curl into her hair.

"Oh, I quite did." Regina hummed, a smirk crossing over her features. "I do hope that isn't all, though?"

"Pardon?" Emma poked her head up, only to be met with a salacious twinkle in the teacher's eyes.

"Oh, nothing, my love."

"Are you sure?" The blonde nuzzled close to her neck, pressing a single kiss to the tanned flesh.

A yawn ripped from the brunette's throat just before she could answer and Emma chuckled, poking her nose. "Or are you just tired?"

"Well, it certainly has been a long day, what with my mother's arrival and all." Regina wrapped her arms around the blonde, keeping her close against her. "But I could always go for... a little...more."

"You're so naughty, Gina." Emma chuckled, though it died in her throat as the brunette's fingernails grazed over her bum.

"If we continue, it will be hard to stop." Regina growled, her voice had taken a husky tone to it.

"I know."

"And we will be exhausted in the morning. Is that something you'd be... willing to endure?"

Emma sucked her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it, eyes searching the brunette's with a slow grin. "I'll be willing to take the risk."

"Oh, good." Regina purred, flipping the two of them over which had earned a squawk of surprise from Emma. "Then the night is still young and we aren't nearly sweaty enough."


	25. Missing Puzzle Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And here is the continuation. I hope you enjoy! (I would have at least put this one on later, but since it has been over two months and I am unsure of when I will gain access to the internet again, I will throw it up again, as well.)

Emma stirred from her slumber, the cool breeze caressing her backside had the blonde groan and roll over. And when she had, she had expected to find solace in Regina's warmth but, instead, she found an empty bed and cold sheets.

The blonde's eyes snapped open as she felt around, just to be sure that the older woman wasn't curled up somewhere further away. Sometimes that happened in the middle of the night, or in the early light of morning. She would awaken to find herself cold and find what appeared to be an empty bed next to her. Regina sometimes made her way to the very edge of the bed, forcing Emma to wiggle over to her and try to pull her back.

But she wasn't there. Not even at the edge. So the blonde found herself quickly sitting up, eyes roaming wildly around the room in search of her brunette lover. The immediate room was empty, as was the ensuite bathroom.

"Gina?" Emma croaked from the bed, pushing the blankets off as she checked the clock, and gaped. It was well past noon and that meant Regina must have been up for hours because of her mother. And that very thought had only panicked the blonde teenager more, forcing her naked tush out of bed to get dressed.

This definitely wasn't a good impression to give to Cora. She slept in and so late. Why hadn't Regina woken her up when she had gotten up? Why just let her sleep? There wasn't anything more like a teenager than a girl who slept late.

"Shit..." Emma mumbled as she sheepishly inched her way from the room, donning one of Regina's fluffy robes over her pajamas before she made it to the hall.

As soon as the blonde had hit the top of the stairs, she smelled something cooking from the kitchen. Stomach growling, she decided to follow the scent trail in hopes that it was Regina who was cooking and not the older woman's mother. That would be quite awkward to walk into and after last night's failure to keep quiet, she didn't exactly want to show her face in front of the eldest brunette woman.

So it was just her relief when she had spotted her brunette lover moving around the kitchen, balancing a pan in one hand and a plate in the other, which appeared to be transferring a fried egg. Quirking a brow, Emma walked into the kitchen and kissed Regina on the cheek.

"Where's your mother?"

"She decided to go on a walk before lunch." Regina turned from the stove with a smile, her arms snaking around the blonde's waist. With a kiss to Emma's forehead, she continued. "She will be due back any moment."

And just like that, Regina had pulled away from Emma and shoved the plate that she had been holding in her face. "Eggs? Sausage? Pancakes?"

"... I thought it was lunch?" Emma blinked, tentatively grabbing the dish full of breakfast foods and looked over it, almost warily.

"Mother, luckily, got up rather late. She missed breakfast and wanted it for lunch instead." Regina sighed softly and returned to the stove once again, cracking an egg over the pan. "But it would be just my luck that she would come home and decide to crave something else."

"Does she do that often?" Emma quirked a brow, sticking a forkful of egg in her mouth.

There was a momentary silence as the brunette stared at the sizzling egg, a frown floating across her features as she contemplated the answer. "Sometimes. Usually she gets up early, so it wouldn't be anything like this, but... She might suggest one thing, or a certain place, for a meal and change her mind perhaps not even five minutes later. It's rather tedious, but I do have meals for the next day, I suppose."

"Well, that's kinda shitty of her." The blonde frowned, leaning against the counter as she had continued to slowly eat her lunch.

"Yes, but that is my mother and I'm afraid that I cannot change it." Regina sighed, scooping the finished egg up and onto a plate.

Emma nodded slightly, watching her as she finished off her egg."Why didn't you get me up when you got up?"

"I thought that I would let you sleep, dear." The brunette finished the second plate and moved to set it on the island before going right back to frying the third and final egg. "I know how much you adore it."

"Yeah, but it probably won't look good for your mother." Emma mumbled and moved to sit on the far side of the island stools, waiting for her lover to join her after she had finished.

"Who cares about my mother?" Regina grumbled, angrily flopping the egg onto her plate, breaking the yolk.

"I..."

"I'm sorry." The brunette held up a hand, shaking her head. With a soft sigh, she had joined Emma at the island with her plate of food. "Mother... heard us."

"Wh-what?" Emma's eyes widened. Really, she shouldn't have been surprised. They wouldn't have exactly won the award for the silent game last night.

Regina nodded slowly, stabbing absently at a sausage link. "She chewed me out before leaving. That's why she had left. She apparently needed to let off some steam."

"I-I'm sorry."

Regina snapped her head in her direction, giving her a look. "You do not be sorry. It was not your fault. This is my house, and I can do what I wish in it. I told her that, too." A slight frown claimed her lips as she took a dainty bite of her egg. "But you know how that woman is."

Emma nodded silently, deciding not to speak as she continued to eat the lunch that Regina had prepared. The silence between them was nothing but welcoming as it allowed the blonde to think over their current situation, and no doubt had given the older woman time as well.

Cora was abusive and manipulative, and everything else that Regina had used to describe that woman before Emma had ever met her. It was quite understandable why the teacher had refused to bring her mother up in their earlier conversations. This woman was as wicked and evil as the two could get. She no doubt had brought up unpleasant memories whenever Regina spoke of her, as had Emma's own experiences in the past with her former foster families.

But the thing that had caught Emma off guard the most was the level of nastiness that this woman carried. Sure, Regina had described Cora to be disgusting and horrible, and that had already set a bad image in Emma's mind. But this woman was worse than she had ever dreamt possible when in person. The blonde had suspected that she would have at least enough decency to punish her child so cruelly out of the public's eye, but alas, she enjoyed having an audience to witness her smack around her daughter, and to the extent that she had.

Emma was literally frozen in her spot by the time Cora had tackled Regina to the ground with fingers pressing into her throat. The horrors of her visit on Christmas and the bruises collected by Regina from the encounter had seemed to play before her very eyes. That woman was cruel with not a remorseful bone in her body.

She had often wondered why Regina had never just walked away from her mother, why wasn't it so easy to do so when she had argued that it wasn't. But now she knew. Now that she had witnessed what went on behind closed doors, or even open ones for that matter, she bribed a rather large reality check into her hands.

Regina was trapped under her ruthless mother's spell and was unable to free herself until one of them had succumbed to a mightier power. For both Regina's and her's sake, she hoped that it would be Cora that would be doing the succumbing.

Then that had sparked a whole different thought into her mind. Cora was dying, or so Zelena had said and Regina said her mother had confirmed. Regina would be able to be free of her mother's grip.

But, in the meantime, what would happen to their relationship? Emma couldn't let Regina lose her job, or go to jail, just because of her. She loved the brunette teacher too much to let her ruin her life for their relationship. That was another thing, though. Emma hadn't told Regina of her thoughts on Cora's threat, or what she thought would be best.

Cora's days were numbered as they were. If Regina would oblige her mother's wishes and break her relationship with Emma, they could eventually get back together when her mother had passed on. And even when Cora had left, satisfied, the two of them could still sneak around and see each other. There was still school until Emma graduated in three months.

The blonde would be willing to wait a few measly months if it meant spending a lifetime with Regina. But, the problem was, she knew that Regina didn't think the same. Or at least that's how she had come across when arguing with Cora about it. That's why they were where they were currently.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Regina nudged the blonde's arm, forcing Emma out of her thoughts. "Or are you off prancing with those ponies in La La Land again?"

The blonde chuckled and shook her head, turning to face her brunette partner. "Oh, definitely, Gina. Except these ponies have horns and wings! They make for much more interesting dance partners."

"I would imagine." The teacher laughed as she pushed her empty plate away from her. "Just watch out for the horns or else you will find yourself to be shishkebabbed."

"I'll try to be careful." Emma smirked, leaning towards the brunette. "Or who else would stick their tongue in you?"

"Oh, don't you be so crass, Emma." Regina growled softly, closing the distance to nip the tip of Emma's nose before sitting back. "I don't think you want Cora to come back in and catch us again."

The blonde's eyes widened at that thought because, no thank you ma'am, she would not enjoy that pants-shitting fest again. "Can I get a side of fuck with that no?"

"I believe we're fresh out of fuck. How about hell instead?" Regina winked and hopped out of her stool to snatch up the two empty plates.

Emma chuckled at her comment, popping up to follow her to the sink. The older woman rarely cursed, and when she did, it always amused the blonde. Such profane language from such a gorgeous woman was something to be enjoyed. "You're some breed of special, Gina."

"Yes, but you like it." The brunette turned to give Emma a cute little smile, instantly turning the blonde's heart into jelly. "And lucky thing you do, because I am rather screwed up."

There was a snort that sounded from the blonde, which had immediately caught Regina off guard. The brunette stared the younger woman down, those mocha eyes narrowed on her. "Oh, I see that you agree with that."

"Because it's true, Regina." Emma leaned up to press a kiss to her cheek. She donned an impish smirk. "But it's a good screwed up. Like... you enjoy bloody movies and really, I mean really, sick ones at that. And I see you smile when someone gets hurt..." Then her own eyes narrowed at the teacher's twitching lips. "More specifically me when I stub my toe or something. You're one sadistic bitch."

"Oh, like you didn't laugh when I fell on my ass last week on that ice patch on our porch."

"You saw that one coming, Regina. I saw that one coming. Hell, even the residents in California saw that one coming." Emma snorted, playfully bumping her hip into Regina's, but the older woman didn't look so amused. "Oh, come on, don't be such a sour puss."

"But you laughed at me." Regina gave her a petulant pout that made Emma know she was forgiven. She giggled, though, playing along with it.

"Would it make you feel better if I said I walked into the closet shelf and your broom decided to attack me?" The teenager mumbled, the memories unpleasant as she brought herself back to yesterday. But the quirk on Regina's lips had made up for it and she grinned, pushing gently at her shoulder. "See? You enjoy my misery."

"I must admit I do." Regina burst into a full blown smile. "To an extent, of course."

"Of course. It would only be a tragedy if I were to lose a limb."

"Oh, you know what I mean, dear."

"No, do go on." A third voice interrupted the affirmation that Emma was about to give. The duo popped their heads up and glanced towards the disruption, finding Cora to be standing there in her jogging clothes with a quirked brow.

"Mother, back so soon?" Regina dismissed what her mother had previously said as she moved around Emma towards Cora. A forced smile stretched on her lips as she gestured towards the plate on the counter. "Your lunch might be cold. I expected you sooner."

"You just contradicted yourself, darling." Cora peered over to the plate of food, her lip curled up into a sneer. "I think I just might eat those sandwiches from yesterday. This isn't breakfast, Regina."

"But, Mother, you-"

"I expect something heavier for our next meal, do you understand me? Do not mistake suppertime for lunch." The older brunette glared towards her daughter, forcing the younger woman to quietly nod as she ceased her movements.

Emma frowned, watching as Cora dismissed the plate waiting for her at the counter and went to the fridge instead. She now understood what Regina had meant about her mother changing her mind about the meal that she had wanted. She felt for her brunette lover at the moment and wanted nothing more than to give her a big hug. This wasn't the misery she enjoyed.

"Honestly, Regina. It truly is a miracle that you can survive on your own." Cora clucked her tongue as she pulled the wrapped up sandwiches out of the fridge and moved towards the island to prepare them.

Regina sighed, her eyes closing as she decided against saying another word. The frown on Emma's face only grew as she slowly inched her way to the older woman and wrapped her arms around her. The teacher immediately returned the embrace, her tensed body relaxing against Emma's.

"I hope you two don't plan to copulate on the counter again. We only have a limited amount of bleach and my eyes still burn from the last sanitization." Cora hissed from her spot. Emma nearly squeaked when Regina's grip around her had only tightened, and incredibly so. Her new inability to breathe had her grip releasing from around Regina in hopes that the older woman would at least loosen her own death grip.

"Sorry." Regina murmured softly before letting go of Emma altogether. "We are not going to fuck, Mother."

The blonde merely shrugged and stepped away from Regina, her eyes casting over the kitchen in a once over before dragging back up to meet with muddy orbs. "You don't have to apologize." Though her words went unheard by the two brunette's as the latter statement from Regina had been spoken. And it was that statement that had Emma frozen in her spot, looking as if she were a deer caught in headlights. There was no telling what Cora would do to Regina for saying that.

"Regina," Cora suddenly spoke as the younger brunette's lips parted to speak. The irritation was clear as it radiated off Regina when her mother had continued. "I would like to speak with you. Alone."

Emma quirked a brow at the oldest woman's request, giving Regina a look before rolling her eyes when the brunette teacher had gestured towards the door. "I'll go find something important to do elsewhere, then..."

"I will be sure to meet up with you when we are finished." Regina had promised, her voice a tired sigh as she rubbed the blonde's arm before she headed out of the kitchen as if whatever was about to happen wasn't foreign.

Emma's heart went out to Regina at that moment as she made her way down the hall and to the foyer. Cora's tone had inferred that she wasn't exactly pleased with her daughter's response. Hell, even Emma was rather surprised when Regina had snapped. Cora was something to deal with and the teacher had seemed to step straight into the awaiting trap.

And what a mighty trap it was. By the time Emma had found herself in the sitting room, she heard shouting come from the other side of the house. The blonde shrank against the couch, her eyes squeezing shut when it suddenly grew quiet. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what was going on. Surprisingly, Cora didn't want an audience for this shaming dealt unto her daughter.

Emma wished more than anything that she could be by Regina's side. She wished that she could grow a courageous brain cell to help her girlfriend and stand up to Cora to end the reign of terror that she was bestowing upon her own daughter. Regina didn't deserve any of what her mother was dishing out to her and it was utterly ridiculous that she had to put up with it. But Emma was merely a teenager and she couldn't take on Cora, nor could she do anything to stop the horrors she was showering over them.

Cora was a powerful woman, and not just physically. That woman was a lawyer, and one of the best ones in the immediate area. She would no doubt win any case they might hold against her, which had ultimately ended in only another fruitless endeavor. She might even try to turn it all against them and the crimes that Regina would be committing by dating Emma.

The prolonged silence had alerted Emma now as she still sat upon the couch, her eyes focused on the doorway, waiting for even the slightest of sounds. There was nothing as of yet. It was futile for her to listen for a small stir when the two of them were on the opposite side of the house and it wasn't in her place to check out what was going on.

After a few heartbeats of more silence, a sudden crash sounded and Emma tensed. That was the sound of glass breaking. That wasn't at all a good sound.

Moments of intense silence later, Cora came into view from the opposite door with a seething expression on her face. She looked unmarred, though that was to be expected. Emma watched, shrinking against the couch in hopes that the older woman didn't seek her out to be the next victim on her list. Luckily, she had turned before reaching the sitting room and instead of going up the stairs to the guest room in which she had resided, she had moved towards the front door. And she left, but not without a slam of the door.

In those last moments, Emma had scrambled up from her spot and hastily made her way back to the kitchen. She hoped to find Regina in one piece when she got there and not a mangled mess with a plate smashed over her head.

Relief was like a tidal wave when it washed over her upon spotting the brunette, all in one piece, as she squat over a pile of broken porcelain and food on the floor.

"I take it she wasn't pleased with lunch?" Emma said, inching her way towards Regina, only to be ushered back.

"There's broken glass and you're not wearing any footwear. I don't want you to cut yourself." The brunette warned, sweeping the mess up into a dust pan before standing up to dump the remains into the garbage.

"What happened? Are you alright, Gina?" The blonde stepped around the mess to follow the teacher around the kitchen, a frown painted on her face. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart." Regina paused her ministrations to give the younger woman a reassuring smile. An olive toned hand rose to gently caress Emma's pale cheek with a single finger.

"Your cheek is red..." Emma dismissed the brunette's reassurance, her palm laying flat against the older woman's reddened cheek with a concerned frown. Cora slapped her again. That seemed to be the rather typical thing anymore. If Regina did something that didn't please the lawyer, she slapped her. It was a shitty punishment, especially coming from such a woman. That bitch was the one that needed to be slapped and if Emma weren't so scared of her, she would do just that.

"It's nothing, Emma." Regina shied away from the blonde's hand and moved to finish cleaning up the mess. "Don't worry about it. I'll survive. I always do."

"I hate this." Emma found herself muttering as she snatched up a dish towel to clean up the residue left on the floor from the egg.

"Cleaning was never your strong suit." Regina's lips twitched as she tried to maintain humor of the situation, though they both knew that wasn't what Emma had meant.

The blonde sighed softly, shaking her head with an amused smile as she rinsed out the towel. She was glad that Regina was one to use humor in an unpleasant situation. The two of them were quite a pair and she was more than lucky. Which was the reason why she wanted this entire ordeal to be over with. Cora was only here to butt into their relationship and to try and tear them apart. Well, perhaps that wasn't the initial plan upon her arrival, but that was surely her main goal now and Emma wasn't going to have it.

"Why does she have to screw with you like this?" The blonde continued, turning to face Regina who had immediately averted her gaze.

"I honestly do not know. And I will never know." Regina moved to the small broom closet and put away the cleaning items before turning to lean against the counter, her elbows upon the surface. "That woman is nothing but a mystery. I have known her for thirty-eight years of my life and I still don't know her."

"Well, that woman's motives are shit." Emma huffed softly, leaning across from the brunette. "I just wish we could be left alone. Everything is so perfect and I'd hate to lose it."

"I wish that, too, Emma. But it appears that we won't be left alone, not until Cora gets what she wants." Regina slumped into a stool, a defeated sigh falling from her lips. "And we have got nearly an entire week left with that woman."

"At least we'll get eight or more hours away from her come Monday." Emma slipped into the stool next to Regina, wrapping an arm around the older woman.

"Yes. You're right." The brunette nodded slightly, falling silent soon after.

Emma hadn't bothered to speak again, nor did Regina for they sat in silence for the hours to come, keeping each other company as they comforted one another's worries over the entire situation.

* * *

When Monday did come, the two of them were just about ready to fly out of the house to school, which was rather ironic for Emma, at least. Normally the blonde usually couldn't wait to get back home, but now she downright dreaded it. Cora seemed to have a repellent spray on against the blonde. She was only suffocating the longer she stayed under the same roof as her and was more than grateful that she was able to get the hell out of there.

Emma would have sooner, but she hadn't wanted to leave Regina to deal with her mother alone. The relationship between Regina and Cora really wasn't her business and she didn't have a need to stay there with her nose poked in on them. The English teacher really didn't need her there, seeing as to how she had survived over three decades prior without the blonde's help. In fact, Regina had even urged that Emma leave and stay with her foster parents until Cora had left town.

The blonde should have gotten out of the house the moment the door had been open, because now it was welded shut and there was absolutely no way out of the hell hole she was stuck in. Every day was a nightmare and every night was something she wished would last for an eternity. And that was saying something, seeing as to how it had only been roughly three days.

Three days, she scoffed to herself. It had only been three days, yet it had felt as if it had been an eternity. But it was all worth it, Emma had kept telling herself that every minute of the day. She was staying here for Regina, for herself, for them. Anything was worth keeping their relationship out of jeopardy, though it felt as if it were already in the hands of the host himself. Cora was the only thing keeping the two from falling apart. She was the only one keeping their lives together at the moment because, right now, she held their lives in the palm of her hand.

Emma wasn't so worried about her own life. Nothing would ever happen to her besides a few cuts and bruises, but it was Regina that would gain more than a simple scrape. It would be as if Cora would rip the still beating heart straight from her own daughter's chest if she were to go through with her original intent, if Regina were to not take her up on the kinder offer.

Emma could not just let that happen. She couldn't let Regina lose everything that she had ever worked for in life. She had built herself ground up, but the foundation was running weak with her mother plowing into it with her relentless pursuit to control her daughter's life. The more that the blonde had looked into the relationship between mother and daughter, the more that she found how controlling the older woman was towards Regina. And with how things were working now, it appeared that she was trying to get her daughter to lean on her as the bricks of her life crumbled one by one.

It was sickening what Emma was witnessing before her very eyes. It was never any wonder now why Regina hadn't wanted to speak of her mother. Cora had a hole in her chest as she did these things. A gaping hole that could never be filled because it was too far gone. She was too far gone.

"You're right, Emma, purple does look good on me." Regina's husky voice tore Emma from her thoughts as she looked towards the brunette standing in front of the mirror in her closet. The older woman donned a smile that could kill and apparel that brought it justice.

Emma had earlier picked an outfit out for the brunette teacher as she often had, namely out of boredom since she had normally worn about the same outfit everyday. But it was also curiosity since Regina appeared to have quite the wardrobe and the blonde had only seen half of it worn on her. That's why she chose a violet blouse hidden between a few lighter shaded ones.

"I told you." The blonde teenager purred, moving to wrap her arms around the brunette from behind, her chin setting on her shoulder as she met those marvelous brown irises in the mirror.

Regina smiled, leaning into Emma as she continued to button the blouse up around her young lover's arms. "I must say I am astonished. I only purchased it because I enjoy the shade of violet. I could never imagine myself in it, though."

"Well, now you know, don't you?" Emma gave her a wry smile before dragging her tongue up her girlfriend's cheek. She pulled away from her to quickly slip her shoes on, the lilt of her lips turning something sardonic as Regina made a noise of disgust.

"You are not a dog, Emma." Regina was wiping at her cheek when the blonde gazed up towards her, the older of the two moving to collect her blazer so they could leave.

The words, though, had only made Emma release a short bout of laughter. She stood, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder as she followed the older woman out of the bedroom. "Don't complain, Gina. You like it when I lick you."

"Elsewhere, dear. Elsewhere." The teacher shot her a sultry look before traveling down the stairs, only to be stopped by Cora, a brow quirked.

The quip ready to come from Emma's mouth quickly died on her tongue upon spotting the older brunette, her eyes slightly widened. Cora stood there with a sickening sweet smile as she gazed at her daughter, one of her slender fingers brushing against Regina's jawline.

"You wear so much face paint for your job, sweetheart." Regina's mother followed the two of them to the front door as the teacher let out an audible sigh.

"Sometimes I need to cover things up, Mother." She turned an accusing glare at the oldest woman. "Now, we need to get going or else we will be late. So, please, Mother."

"I won't keep you, my love." Cora placed a kiss on the English teacher's cheek, directly where Emma had licked Regina just minutes earlier. The blonde smirked, though tried to keep it to herself as she quickly opened the door. "Just do not fall victim to this girl's schedule. She keeps a bad one and I know you better than that, Regina. Do not let her falter your performance."

"My performance is quite alright, Mother." Regina squirmed away from her mother, dodging Cora's hand before she could cup her cheek. "Now, if you would kindly let me go. I will be late."

Cora held her hands up with a simple nod, taking a step back. "Perhaps you should consider leaving earlier and not taking a..." her gaze cast towards the blonde standing behind the brunette teacher before gesturing towards her. "Pitstop before getting ready."

"What I do with my time is my business, Mother." Regina merely turned around with a shake of her head, ushering the blonde teenager out the door. "I will see you this afternoon."

"I might not be here when you return." Cora simply state, her hand on the door.

The two exiting the small manor turned towards the oldest woman, Regina's brow quirked at her statement. She didn't appear to question it, though behind the stoic mask placed on her face there was a whirlwind of suspicions. "Alright."

"Have a nice day, sweetheart." There was a pause in Cora's words before she spoke again, her voice held a bit of reluctance to them. "And you, too, Emma."

"Thank you." The blonde muttered with a nod before scurrying off to the car with Regina in tow.

It wasn't until they were in the car and halfway down the driveway did Regina finally speak, her voice laced with something that sent chills down the blonde's spine. "I wonder where the hell my mother plans on going all day. She has no friends in town."

"I don't know, Gina." Emma frowned, her eyes on the house. "And, frankly, I'm not sure if I want to."

But at lunchtime, Emma had gotten the answer that was bugging Regina earlier that day. The blonde was at Granny's during her usual routine of dining in before grabbing something for Regina to eat later. She was at the counter with Ruby, who had been taking a lunch break as she usually had when Emma dropped by. The waitress was more than happy to accompany the blonde during lunch, and the boredom on her face told Emma exactly why.

The two of them had been in light conversation about each other's days so far, Emma snacking on a grilled cheese sandwich when the door to the restaurant had opened. It wasn't alarming to the blonde, seeing as to how Granny's was a public restaurant after all. But when she had glanced up from her conversation with Ruby to see the new arrival, her heart skipped a beat.

Cora.

Emma must have been staring at the woman for longer than she had intended because Ruby seemed to have noticed, her hand waving in front of the blonde's face.

"Earth to Emma Swan. Earth to Emma Swan. Does she read?"

The blonde blinked and quickly nodded, tearing her gaze away from Cora who had taken a corner seat by the door, in clear view of Emma. "Y-yeah, she reads."

"What the hell has got you?" The waitress quirked a brow before turning the stool to follow Emma's previous gaze, but she came up short. "What? I don't see anything."

"It's nothing." Emma merely shrugged, giving her friend a reassuring smile. Though when the brunette had continued on with a roll of her eyes, the blonde couldn't help but to let her gaze slip passed her and to Cora as she seemed to be talking on a phone. Her eyes narrowed in on the older woman, curious as to who was on the other line.

Regina had mentioned that she was suspicious of her mother's activities, and especially her arrival in town. She feared that Cora had known something and the way that she had reacted to every detail that she had soon discovered was nothing but feigned surprise. Emma had questioned that, wondering how that woman would have knowledge of anything and just told Regina she was paranoid. It wasn't the most sensitive thing to do, but it seemed to have eased Regina's mind for the moment.

But now that Emma was watching Cora at the diner, talking to a mysterious person on the phone with not a friend in town, she was growing rather suspicious herself.

"Okay, Emma, come clean." Ruby snapped the blonde's attention back to her friend, her eyes widened. "You've been staring at something."

"No I haven't." The blonde lied and the waitress detected it right away.

"Then what did I just say?"

"'Okay, Emma, come clean?'" Emma quickly popped a fry into her mouth, giving her friend a bad pokerface.

"Girl, there's a special place in hell for you." Ruby clucked before taking a sip of her iced tea. Setting it down, she leaned forward with a smirk. "Tell me. Who is it?"

"Who is what?" Emma blinked, dropping her next fry back onto the plate. Her eyes quickly went to Cora, who had now sat there with an idle stare at the menu.

"You've seen this place a million times before, Em. And there are no animals allowed in here. Obviously it's a person that's caught your eye." Ruby swiveled the chair around once again, looking to Emma before turning her attention back to the small amount of patrons in the room.

"It's no one, Rubes." Emma huffed, quickly breaking contact with Cora as she paid attention to her lunch. "Did you say that there was someone that checked into the Bed and Breakfast?"

"Yeah," Ruby turned back around, giving her friend a suspicious stare. "On Saturday."

"Who... Uh, who was that?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Can't I just ask? You're the one complaining that I'm not paying attention to you." Emma shrugged.

Ruby did as well, her perfectly manicured nails tapping on the counter. "It was that one redheaded woman again. I forgot her name, but she looked familiar. I wonder why she's back in town."

"That one... redheaded..." Emma's brows furrowed for a moment as she tried to think of who that was. And then it hit her like a slap to the face. It couldn't possibly be her, could it? Why would she be back in town?

The blonde's gaze slid back over to Cora, and for a moment, their eyes met. And she smiled. Cora gave her a smile that sent chills down Emma's spine. There was something in that curve of those red lips that held the answers what Regina, and herself, had been searching for.

But Emma was no lip reader, or whatever the hell that would be to find out the meaning behind the "answer." She just knew it was something, and if this something had to do with Zelena, who had so coincidentally entered town when Cora was here...

Emma shuddered at the thought.

Zelena had said that she had only talked to her mother once before Cora disowned her, or whatever she had said. She hadn't given any indicator that the two of them were conversing beyond that. Regina would have known firsthand if that were happening, since she had been visited by her relatives on more than one respective occasion.

"Oh, God, it's Cora." Ruby muttered, breaking that contact with Cora as Emma more than happily turned her attention back to her friend.

"You know her?" Emma was surprised that Ruby had, her own emerald orbs widening. She didn't think Cora got out much. She would figure the woman would spend every waking moment with Regina and trying to keep her "in line."

"Yeah. You know Ms. Mills?" The brunette quirked a brow at her friend, leaning in as if it were some big secret. When Emma merely nodded, Ruby had continued with a hushed whisper. "That's her mother."

"Really?" Emma played along, feigning surprise as the woman of subject had throughout her visit. "Why is she here?"

"Yeah. I've seen the two of them come in here before. Well... a long, long time before. But I heard Ms. Mills refer to her as "Mother" when they got into arguments. Which was a lot as I remember." Ruby's eyes moved to subtly look at Cora who paid no attention to the two of them as she enjoyed a steaming cup of coffee.

"They argued in public? A-About what?" Emma quickly finished off her sandwich, eyes flicking to the clock before returning to her best friend. She would have to leave soon.

"I don't know. Stuff about her controlling Ms. Mills' life or something. I was young when I heard most of it. Then they just stopped coming here about five years ago. I hadn't seen that woman since." Ruby's eyes landed on Cora once again. "Imagine my surprise when I entered high school and found out the Regina arguing with her mother was the English teacher."

"Weird." Emma muttered. Most of the details she had known, of course, but hearing about the two of them bringing this to public light was rather alarming. She wondered if Cora ever struck her daughter outside the house. It wouldn't surprise her any.

"Tell me about it. I felt kinda sorry for Ms. Mills with a mom like that." Ruby chuckled softly, popping up from her seat after catching a glance at the clock. "You better get going. Grilled cheese to go, right?"

"Yeah." Emma quickly nodded, taking a hasty sip of her soda as she hopped up as well. "Ms. Mills sends her regards."

"Oh, I bet she does." Ruby gave Emma a wink before she moved back to the kitchen to gather the to-go meal as the blonde waited for her. She returned moments later with a smirk. "I know you still like her."

"I will not disclose such information, Ruby." Emma wrinkled her nose at the brunette waitress before snatching the bag from her hand. "But I'm sure you'll find out the answer some time in the future, huh?"

"Oh, will I?" Ruby leaned against the counter on her elbows. "What really is going on?"

"I need to go."

"Oh, come on! You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can." The blonde smirked as she made her way out of the diner, hastily making sure that she didn't have to release any more information to her friend than she already had. But in her haste out the door, she had ran into another person, forcing her to recoil backwards as she dropped the bag.

"I am so sorry!" Emma was quick to apologize, bending to quickly gather the bag she had dropped.

"Don't worry about." The accented voice before her spoke. The blonde nodded, not even catching the woman's face as she made her way down the path to get back to school before her next class started.

"I cannot believe how clumsy some people can be." That very woman huffed with annoyance as she made her way towards the table tucked away in the corner by the door.

Cora glanced up to the newest company, a smirk on her face. "I cannot fathom what my daughter sees in that girl."

"Regina's tainted. Her mind is warped and she is sick." She joined Cora across the table in which she sat, her head shaking slowly.

"She is not. How dare you speak of my daughter that way?" The brunette grew angry, her teeth baring. "Regina is simply misguided and I am here to guide her into the right direction."

"Yes? Well, your daughter is breaking the law, I'm quite sure."

"She is just confused." Cora took a sip from her lukewarm coffee, giving the guest a haughty look.

The woman rolled her eyes as she played with the menu in front of her. "What of your plan?"

"In due time."

"In due time? I thought that little girl would be gone by now." She growled, slamming a fist on the table.

Cora remained calm, a cold smile on her lips as she watched the woman before her. "Keep your panties straightened, dear. Patience is virtue, and frankly Zelena, you do not have it."

"I do, too!" Zelena's voice rose to an amazing volume that had the other patrons in the diner look their way. Cora, though, tsked and acted as if nothing had happened. The auburn haired woman had noticed the newly gathered attention, for she had shrunk slightly in her seat and lowered her voice with a menacing lilt.

"I have waited for far too long, Mother. Two years, and you say wait. I have waited. I am growing impatient." Cora's eldest daughter leaned back against the chair as she picked the menu up. "I have found things out for you, Mother. You wouldn't even be here if not for me."

"Have patience, Zelena. Your time will come." Cora merely stated, finishing off her coffee. "But, I do have something planned that you might see fit."

"Oh?" Zelena lowered the menu, leaning in to look at her mother. There was a smirk curling on her lips. "Do tell."

"Well, it all starts when my darling daughter comes home from work with her petulant lover..."

* * *

"I found out where your mother's at." Emma looked up to Regina from the latter woman's desk after the bell had rung for fourth period to dismiss.

The English teacher shooed the blonde from her seat and took it, a brow quirked. "And where is she?"

"Granny's." Emma lowered herself onto Regina's lap, her arms wrapping around the older woman as she made herself comfortable. She knew that she shouldn't stay here long. After all, she did have a class to go to. But Regina would write her a pass and the class wasn't much. It was only aerobics, after all.

Regina instantly wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, tugging her closer. "I don't expect her to eat every meal at home, alone."

"Well, no. I wasn't meaning that as a bad thing." Emma nuzzled closer against the brunette, enjoying the close proximity that they had. "But, uh, she was talking on the phone with... someone."

"Was she?" Regina quirked a brow, suddenly interested. Her grip slightly tightened, those mocha eyes sparkling with concern. "I wonder who the hell that would be..."

"I don't know, Gina." Emma pressed a kiss to the brunette's cheek before slipping out of her lap. "I'm sure you can ask her when we get home if you need to. She saw me at the diner."

Regina reached for Emma's hand, her fingers intertwining with the younger woman's. "Is there anything else?" She gazed up at the blonde, those very eyes piercing into Emma's own. Her brows furrowed, the grip on Emma's hand only tightening when the teenager remained quiet, because yes, there was something else but the blonde wasn't so certain if it would be a concern.

"There is, isn't there?"

"Maybe." Emma murmured, her thumb moving to stroke the top of the olive toned flesh laced with hers.

Regina didn't falter when she queried next, the demanding tone to her voice, harnishing something with that of annoyance. "Maybe? Emma, tell me."

"Zelena." The blonde soon muttered. "Ruby said that Zelena came back to town."

"You..." Regina's brows furrowed now, her fingers falling from the grip. "You don't think that those two might be..?"

"I don't know." Emma shrugged, because no, she didn't. She thought just what Regina had told her, unless the older woman had doubts. "If what you told me was true, then there's nothing to worry about. But I shudder to think there would be something going on between them."

"If those two are conspiring with one another... I cannot fathom this. I cannot. Mother gave Zelena away for a reason and I know she is not one to accept back willingly. After she had kicked me out, it took more effort than needed to convince her to tuck me back into bed, you see?" Regina closed her eyes for a moment, whatever unpleasant thoughts running through the teacher's head had her grip tightening on Emma's hand. "And within those few months' time to accept Zelena into her home, or what have you, after not knowing her at all? That woman is nothing but a stranger to us all and for Mother to... to...

"Why would that woman know so much about me? Mother wouldn't be willing to spare such information to someone that she had just met." There was a spark in her eye as if she just had an epiphany, but that didn't sate Emma's worries. "Did they know each other before Zelena ever came here? Why else would mother be so keen on visiting me after five years of... of virtual abandonment? If those two are speaking to one another, then... It must have been years ago."

"Gina?"

"My mother has played me. She has played me and over did it this time. My strings are breaking, Emma." Regina released the blonde's hand. "But why?"

"Maybe... it's not true? Maybe they aren't talking to each other or anything and we're just getting ahead of ourselves." Emma tried so hard to reassure the brunette, but she knew Regina was starting to fall apart at the seams as she digested this new information.

"I can only hope so." Regina stood from her spot, eyes locked in on emerald ones. "I don't want to think why all of this is happening right now. I... I wish we could be left alone, Emma. I really do. And I know you do, too."

"We'll get through this, Gina." Emma frowned, the guilt eating her away. She knew that she had made her lover's day far worse than it had already been. Her hand found its way to Regina's arm, trying to give it a reassuring caress.

"There is too much that I'm worried about, Emma. I have no doubt about what you say. But what Cora is planning, why she is here... Why is she here?" Regina shook her head, one hand curling into golden locks as the other snaked around Emma's waist, pulling the teenager into a tight embrace. "You need to get to class, honey."

"I-I don't have to if you need me, I'll stay." The blonde buried her nose in the brunette locks, inhaling her sweet and spicy scent.

"Emma..." Regina breathed softly, pulling her away. One of those perfect brows quirked, leaving Emma to don a sheepish smile. "You need to get your butt to class, alright? I'll need you more after school when we head home."

"Damn." Emma huffed softly, stealing a quick kiss before she pulled from her lover altogether. Regina chuckled softly and took her spot once again, snatching up that pad of papers to write a pass out for the blonde."That class sucks sometimes."

"Perhaps I will be able to visit you sometime?" Regina smirked up at her lover, handing the green slip to her. "I can watch you... run."

"You would like that too much, wouldn't you, Gina?" Emma giggled softly, taking the pass. "We do yoga, too. I bet you'd love to see that."

That smirk only grew on the older womans face. "Perhaps you should give me a private showing at home?"

"I'll take note to remember what the fuck we do." "Language, Emma."

Emma scowled slightly, though she could help but to give a short giggle. "You haven't cared for a long time now."

"You need to get going, booboo kitty fuck." Eyes like molten lava gazed up at her, both devious and humored.

"I should have never let you watch that movie." Emma narrowed her eyes at the older woman, the latter's nose twitching. "And don't you go there about me saying that, either."

"Oh, but you just had to, Emma." The brunette broke her gaze to open up the bag of her rapidly cooling lunch. She pulled out the tin foil wrapped sandwich and started to peel it out. "And right in the middle of an intimate moment."

Emma playfully jutted out her lower lip. "You said you liked the dirty talk."

"Go, Emma."

"Oh, is Ms. Mills going to get all snappy on me now?" Emma leaned against the desk, staring at the teacher.

"Do not torment me, Miss Swan." Regina eyed the hands planted on her desk before drawing her gaze to meet with the blonde's. "You need to get your butt to class."

"Don't get your panties in a knot, Ms. Mills." The blonde smirked, but it didn't last long as she let her expression drop as well as her voice. "But you aren't wearing any, now, are you?"

Regina licked her lips, slowly and rather seductively. Emma could feel herself start to buzz with arousal as she stood still in her spot. It was true. Regina went without panties today only because their time was waning... and the ones that she had worn before their tumble-about on the bed had flown somewhere unknown.

But Emma knew that the older woman could have just drawn some from the closet, a fresh and new pair. Regina just didn't want to. That woman was wearing one of her skirts today and decided to taunt Emma with the knowledge.

"Get moving, clit commander, or there will be trouble." The brunette teacher growled, taking a bit of her sandwich.

"You used it!" Emma couldn't help but to laugh as she abided, quite satisfied now. "And you better believe it, Gina. You'd know better than anyone."

"Emma!" A balled up paper hit the blonde on her way out, forcing her to only laughed more, chuckling like a madwoman as she walked down the hallway.

...

"She isn't here." Regina entered the master bedroom, dark eyes on the blonde perched upon the mattress.

"Well, she did say that she might not be when we got home." The blonde let out a soft sigh at her girlfriend's wariness and held out her arms, inviting the brunette into them. Regina abided the request, walking straight into Emma's arms with her own wrapped tightly around her neck.

"All the more reason to believe she's out conspiring with my sister."

"Gina..." Emma sighed softly, rubbing the older woman's back.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I've been... on edge all day." Regina slipped into the younger woman's lap, straddling the jean-clad legs. "I wish that I could forget that any of this is happening. I really do."

"Don't be. I understand." The blonde sighed softly, a hand moving up to cup her lover's cheek as she kissed her sweetly, hoping to sate their worry for the moment. But she could feel the tenseness in Regina's muscles, and they were not exactly faltering yet. "I do not like this any more than you do, perhaps not to the same extent, but still."

"Emma..." Regina sighed softly, lowering her lips to Emma's in a smoldering kiss that had caught the blonde off guard. She didn't protest, though, as she returned it, her lips tasting the sweet ones of her lover's.

Emma groaned softly against the brunette's mouth, her pale hands falling to Regina's slowly moving hips. If this was Regina's idea of forgetting their situation, Emma didn't have much of a problem with it. So she went along with the entire thing, her hips bumping up against Regina's grinding ones every once in a while.

The brunette woman made a soft noise, her lips breaking from Emma's as she trailed them soft, pale skin. There was a soft gasp that fell from Emma's lips when Regina had merely continued to trail her lips down to the slender column of the blonde's neck. She nipped the delicate flesh, licking and sucking it as those hands of hers explored Emma's sides.

Meanwhile, Emma had slid her hands back up the brunette's sides to unbutton her violet blouse. She was successful in her attempt for her hands soon found the older woman's heated skin, her pale fingers sliding across the tawny abdomen as Regina had never relented with her gentle teases.

"Perhaps going pantie-less today was a good idea..." Regina growled huskily, her mouth drawing up to press the softest of kisses to Emma's lips. "Makes it far easier for you."

"But I'm wearing pants?" Emma whined softly, kissing the brunette again, her hands sliding up to cover the lace covered mounds on Regina's chest. The older woman groaned softly, her back arching against the palms.

"Indeed." Regina hummed, turning to look behind them for a moment. "We should close the door in case my mother returns."

"Good idea..." The blonde narrowed her eyes at the teacher, though she didn't argue as she removed her hands.

Regina chuckled softly, pressed a kiss to her lips, and slipped from Emma's lap to get the door. But just as she was in the process of doing that, the front door had shut and her mother's voice rang through the house. The fire between Emma's thighs was extinguished immediately as she popped up from the bed, panicking.

"Goddammit, Mother." The brunette muttered under her breath, hands flying to button up her blouse.

"Regina, darling, where are you? I'm home." Cora's voice grew louder until she was in the doorway, smiling at her daughter who had hastily fixed her outfit. "How was your day, darling?"

"I-It was fine, Mother." The brunette breathed, stuffing the last bit of her purple blouse into her skirt. Emma still watched from her spot, though she had settled back down on the mattress

"What is wrong with you, Regina?" It was a moment that Regina's mother had taken to look at the two of them, noticing her daughter's disheveled state and the fidgeting, and clearly flustered, Emma on the bed. Then her eyes fell to something on the floor, just a few inches from her own feet.

Emma's own gaze fell to what had the oldest woman's attention, eyes widening when she had noticed Regina's lost panties from this morning.

Oh shit.

"Again, with your disgusting... choices." Cora growled, gesturing towards Emma, who in return had stared at the woman with doe eyes.

Emma really wasn't the one for the spotlight. Thankfully, it was Regina who had intervened, a scowl on her face. "Mother, please. We have been through this a thousand times before. I am not going to change, so stop trying. It is futile."

Those weren't the right words as either one had hoped. Instead of calming and abiding those words, they had only fueled the anger evidently boiling up within Cora. The older brunette reached out and grabbed her daughter's chin, forcing the younger woman's head towards her.

"I will not tolerate you speaking to me like that, Regina Mills. I recommend you change your tone."

Emma tensed in her spot now, eyes on Cora. If only looks could kill, that woman would be six feet under before her expiration date. She slid her gaze to Regina who had merely stood there, stark still in her spot as if she were faced with a red dot to her forehead.

"Mother," she began coldly. "Let us not do this here. Let us not do this now. I am growing weary of your arguments against my lifestyle. Why the hell is it such a big deal for me to be heterosexual? Why bother me to change when I never will?"

"Because, Regina, I cannot pass down my com-"

"Your company! Your firm! Is that all this is about, Cora?" The brunette literally growled, surprising the two of them. Emma suspected that woman to rip her own mother's throat out at any given moment now, but she hadn't. She remained there with eyes so molten, the fire of them could burn Cora's hide.

Cora didn't have it, for she removed her grip on her daughter's chin only to slap her across the face. Emma tensed in her spot once again, the dire need to rescue her lover from the situation sitting on the surface of her mind. She couldn't. They needed to work this.

Besides, what would she be able to do?

"Of course not, Regina." A cold smile crossed over her features. "I just wish for my daughter to be normal. I want to brag about how lovely of a husband and kids you have to my fellow coworkers. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Yes!" Regina stood with a hand on her own cheek, eyes seeming to glisten in the light of the sun. "Don't you have your other daughter to take my place? As far as I know, she is normal. She is everything that you desire and you tossed her aside. Or did you?"

There was a hesitant pause in Cora's step before she sneered, the emotion flickering over her face gone within moments. "You simply do not understand, my love. It is far too complicated than you will ever conceive. I wish for you to stand down, leave this sickened, worthless piece of trash that could surely ruin your life, and find someone worth it. Someone that can give you the life that you deserve."

Emma's heart skipped a beat at Cora's comment about her, her own blood raging to a boil.

"It is one thing to insult me, Mother, to degrade my life choices and criticize every little thing that I do. But it is another to insult an innocent. To insult the woman that I love. I will not tolerate this degree of inhumanity." There was pure, unadulterated anger on Regina's features. Emma had never seen such a side of Regina and, least to say, it was one of the most terrifying things that she had ever lain her eyes on.

The sweet, kind and caring woman that Emma had fallen in love with was quickly taken over by this new hate-filled side that only saw red. The blonde was sure glad she wasn't the one causing this from the brunette because she would be outside and in California if that were true.

"Woman? She is merely a girl, Regina. How can you not get that through your thick skull?" Cora merely laughed, remaining unabashed by the anger radiating off her daughter.

"I want you to leave, Mother. I am tired of having to deal with your relentless endeavors of insulting me and trying to change and control every aspect of my life. I appreciate that you had gotten me this far, I really do, but you have gone way too far with this. I wish that you would find it in your blackened, withered heart to leave me the hell alone. Do what you wish with me. Disown me for a second time. Just let me live in peace." Regina's cheeks were stained with tears, her entire body shaking as Emma had continued to watch quietly. Things were heating up quite quickly and there was no telling where this would go now that the brunette had told her mother off.

But Cora had answered in the most unexpected of ways. Her voice had remained cool, calm, and collect as she raised both hands in the air. "If you want for me to leave you alone, Regina, so be it."

Regina stared blankly at her mother as the older woman backed away, a sinister smile on her lips. Emma could only stare, her jaw gaped open wide enough to attract all flies. That was too easy.

"Mother?" Regina's voice was hesitant; quiet. A far cry from her earlier speech.

"You may have your wish, Regina, but it does come with a price. I do hope you enjoy being unemployed, because after this, you will never step foot in another school again. You will have great troubles trying to find another job with pedophilia on record." The smirk on Cora's face sent a harsh shiver down Emma's spine. "Or what have you, since she is eighteen. I give you the house, I will let you keep as much. You'll need it. Your funds will not last you long."

"Y-you can't do this, Mother." The brunette teacher's voice was emotionless, her face equally as devoid. She was completely numb from her mother's stinging words.

The blonde's heart pounded in her ears as panic welled within her. What the hell were they going to do now? There was not a chance on Earth that Cora would ever be willing to change her mind now. Not after that.

"Oh, I do believe I can, darling." The lawyer laughed coldly. "Perhaps I will be nice enough to let you finish out the rest of the school year, if I can find it in my blackened, withered heart to."

"No... Mother, please. Think this through." Regina stepped towards her mother, reaching out to her as if desperately trying to undo the last twenty minutes of their conversation. But Cora had merely smacked her hand away and turned to leave the room.

"You have diminished all chances that I had given you, Regina." She kept walking even as she spoke, forcing Regina to chase after her with the new pleads falling from her lips. Emma popped up, too invested to let the conversation walk away from her. She had kept her distance, though, watching from the top of the stairs as Cora opened the front door with Regina standing in the middle of the foyer.

"Please don't do this, Mother... This job is all I have. I-I can't let you take that away from me." Regina pleaded, rushing towards her mother once again. "I can't let you take any of this away from me. I-I... Everything is so perfect with E-Emma and my job and..."

"Save it, Regina. You had already destroyed the last bit of concern I had held for you. You are no longer a daughter of mine." Cora's eyes narrowed in on the brunette teacher. "If I were you, I would resign before I report your ass into the school board. Maybe then you can salvage your life. I would be devastated to see you go to prison."

"M..Mother..." Regina was pushed to the ground after her last attempt to reach the very woman that she had pushed away minutes ago. She stared up at her mother as the older woman stepped through the threshold, still donning that sardonic smirk.

"Heed my advice, dear daughter, because it is the last that you will ever receive from me." Cora glared to the small woman on the floor as she pulled the door closed, but not after calling behind her just before the door clicked.

"I wish you luck in Boston."


	26. Prologue to a Greater Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (You're welcome to skip this brick and read the story. I know it's terribly long.)
> 
> A/N: MY COMPUTER FIXED ITSELF. Eh-hem. My apologies. I was excited.
> 
> I hadn't meant for this update to take this long! I've been hit by so many things at once and so many obstacles had been set in front of me, it's been hard to reach the end of the course. I'm still tangled up in the middle of everything. This will be the last chapter(s), so that means this Fanfic is coming to an end! (It's taken far longer than I had imagined it would and I apologize. I've been cut off from internet, lack of computer, Skyrim/Sims, and moving.) I've decided to upload the finish of it all at about the same time since it had taken forever for it to be updated. Again, I do apologize! My job hasn't been very helpful with the reality of having to finish writing this since it takes up most hours of my day.
> 
> Addressing a few small things before I let you go on reading, I have noticed in some reviews a while back (well, to me since I have checked up on them every time I accessed the internet) that you were upset over the past few chapters with the abuse and such. I understand that some of you are rather sensitive to that and I've tried to put warnings in my notes, though I may have forgotten to warn you. To me, I don't necessarily care what I read, write, or watch and I feel like I expect that of my readers but I know that I shouldn't. I apologize if I had offended you and I'm backing off abusive things for the rest of the fic (save for the last chapter in which I will be adding a warning). I've grown up with no filter in my environment, so I believe using the "wh" word so loosely or profane language in general doesn't matter, or writing more risqué things like abuse or self-harm (since I had previously wrote dark for other fandoms that didn't mind).
> 
> I want to say that I truly am sorry for offending anyone by writing these things, and I don't really want to come off as some kiss-ass by saying this, but I felt that it needed addressed. Thank you for those who have stuck with me throughout this entire fic, and for the ones who have at least read and tried to read it. I really do appreciate it and your reviews! They make me feel good about myself and encourages me to write more for you like any author! You're the fuel to my motor! I love you all so very much and it's been such a wonderful experience having this small fortune for this story. It has been fun writing for you and reading the reviews that you have given me. I can honestly say that I will miss it dearly!
> 
> But, now I shall release you and I do hope that you will enjoy the final bits of this fic! It's a bit jumpy, but I had tried my best to make it not too choppy or too drawing, either. Once again, thank you so much for reading and sticking with me, I appreciate it so very much. This will be the last time I get to mush all over you guys. Enjoy! Oh! And I would very much appreciate it if you left me a little feedback! :)

 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: THREE MONTHS LATER

Cora dropped the small device that she had been holding onto the opposite side of her mattress, a satisfied smirk spread widely across her lips. The lawyer sat there, very nearly staring at the wall in front of her as she thought back to the conversation that she had ended just mere moments ago.

That had been a phone call that the woman had been looking forward to for months. It was the phone call that had linked her to her daughter and the brunette teacher's standing within the school.

"What has got you smiling?" A crisp, English accent brought Cora's attention to her bedroom's doorway to spot her auburn haired daughter.

Instead of the normal bite that she would usually snap at her eldest daughter, the brunette lawyer remained with that same smirk on her face as she shifted on the bed, dropping the leg that had been under her onto the floor when she moved to stand.

"I just got off the phone with a man that I had been waiting to hear from for months."

"Did you finally land yourself a date, Mother?" Zelena smirked, humoring herself as she glided the distance between the two of them. Cora shook her head, the lilt of her lips suddenly disappearing into a scowl.

"That was Gold, the principal of the high school that your sister works at." Her arms crossed tightly over the white blouse, her crimson lips pursing.

"Of course," the redhead sobered quickly with a nod. "What did he say? Did he inform you of her standing? Did she finally make a move on the game board?"

"Yes. Yes she did." Cora chuckled delightfully, hands coming together as she rocked on the balls of her feet. "It seems that our darling Regina has decided to finally pick a side."

"She saved herself." Zelena muttered coldly, a look of distaste crossing her features. "Are you disappointed in her for choosing... that _girl_?"

"I already knew that she had chosen the girl over me before I left. It was all inevitable the moment that she had suggested I give that blonde a chance. I only humored her on the subject and formulated the plan that I had told you at Granny's that day." The lawyer smiled, almost proudly as she recollected back on her doings.

Zelena nodded, but didn't seemed to be too terribly pleased with the news. One of her brows quirked as if she didn't quite understand what her mother was getting at. She was still rather confused as to what her mother was planning with this whole thing and she even voiced her thoughts, then, inquiring: "What are you benefitting from this? Your daughter hates you and she is losing her job, but her woman lover is still there. Isn't what you wanted was for the two of them to part? What is any of this doing?"

It was then that Cora faltered, and Zelena had noticed it. Then a slow smirk spread across the redheaded woman's face. Her mother hadn't thought it through, apparently. Whatever initial plan she had, turned into something twisted. Something completely indiscernible than what it had originally been played to be. The road was no longer clear and she had definitely veered straight off the path.

And landed somewhere halfway to Jupiter.

Zelena knew that Cora had no intentions of Regina losing her job, nor resigning from it either. She only wanted to use it as a mere threat to scare her youngest daughter away from Emma, but that hadn't worked out so well in the end. Cora had realized that her daughter didn't have simple, lust-driven feelings for the blonde student that would be easily canceled out if her job were at stake.

No.

What she had was far deeper than she had ever thought possible. The initial thoughts of her daughter's sexual orientation had been twisted into something like that of her plan. It was becoming fuzzy; unable to be clearly read on the dampened pages of the book she somehow had tossed into the toilet from her last visit.

Regina was in love with this Emma, and whatever this love was, was a hell of a lot more solid than she could have ever dreamed possible. That brunette would sooner find herself in a penitentiary than be split from the partner that she had become so fond of.

But it was those feelings that her daughter held for that young woman that had Cora absolutely terrified- and giving second thoughts to the teacher's lifestyle.

Though Cora wasn't about to falter so easily. She couldn't weaken her views, there was no way in hell. She had spent so long fighting for her daughter, trying to fix that woman and make her normal.

Zelena's words, though, had gotten to her. She stood there, staring at her daughter as she soon realized what exactly she had done and the reality of it. She had made no progress whatsoever with her brunette daughter. She only made it easier for her.

Regina was already planning on quitting her job to move to Boston with her young lover, Cora knew that much. She was only making things easier for the English teacher. The plan that she had become so fond of only seemed to backfire on her, and Gold's latest phone call had only pressed the shrapnel harder against her face.

She had to think of another plan, and fast. She would have to double her thoughts and take a flight to Boston to catch up with her daughter in a last ditch effort before her "disease"

got to her.

Cora wouldn't be able to rest peacefully so long as her daughter was dating Emma- that goddamn girl that had seemed to grab Regina's heart and squeeze more love out of it than the lawyer had ever been given in her lifetime.

Something bubbled within Cora at that thought, though she quickly quenched it. No. She wasn't going to allow that teenager to get to her. She needed to get that little girl away from her precious daughter- even if that meant killing and destroying the thing her daughter loved most.

Regina would surely need her after that.

"I have a plan, Zelena, do not mock me." Cora turned molten eyes on her eldest daughter. "But I need you to help me."

"Haven't I already been helping?" Zelena's brows rose, a twinkle sparkling in her eye.

"Yes, you have indeed. But I need you more... directly this time." There was no hesitance in her voice as she flashed those cold eyes on Zelena, not a lick of sympathy on her face. "Our dear Regina has slid her pawn across the board, now it is our turn to move the next piece. Hear me out, and pay close attention, because if you screw even a detail of this up, you can kiss the chances of getting your hands on my firm goodbye."

That had her eldest daughter's head bobbing, full attention set on the shorter woman as sharp, pale eyes met with sardonic, dark ones, the latter speaking of her newest plan.

...

STORYBROOKE, MAINE: ONE WEEK EARLIER

"Gina?" Emma's voice was nothing but a mere whisper in the darkness of the bedroom. The inquiry clung in the air, left unanswered as she dropped her messenger bag onto the floor beside the lavish bed.

"Are you awake?" She asked once again, though her tone had been so quiet she wasn't sure if Regina would have been able to hear her from the position that she took. The brunette's back was facing her, she could make out the delicate contour of her lover's body.

Her breathing was steady, her side gently rising and falling with each breath. One arm was tucked under her head as the other disappeared in front of her. Her body was curled up on top of the blankets, almost as if she were trying to form into a ball.

It wasn't until Emma was crawling onto the left side of the bed that she had realized where exactly the brunette had been lying. Regina had taken over the blonde's side of the bed, her face pressed against the younger woman's pillow as she slept, earning a sweet smile from the teenager.

Regina must have missed the blonde while she was gone.

Emma had been spending the weekend with her foster parents as she had often found herself doing. She had crammed in her time with the two over the past month since she was planning on leaving by the end of the school year- which was rearing up faster than ever now.

The thought of Regina doing this because of Emma's absence sent a pang of guilt washing over her. She absolutely hated being away from her brunette girlfriend, but the two of them knew that she had other priorities in her life- though the blonde felt as if Regina were her highest one.

Over the past three months, the two of them only grew closer together. They would be moving away from everyone and everything that they knew, sans Graham, and would be living together in a larger city.

The thought was both exciting and terrifying. Neither one knew where their relationship was going to be by this year's end. What they were doing was rather drastic, especially since they might not be able to go back on what they were doing.

Or at least Regina couldn't.

The brunette was thinking about what her mother had told her before she left and had lamented to Emma on several occasions about. They had discussed their options, though there were few. Regina had already planned on quitting her job here in Storybrooke, but the question was about the job she was intending to acquire in Boston.

Would her mother try to threaten that job away from her also?

Surely the brunette lawyer will have known about that as well, since she already had terrifying knowledge of Regina's plan on moving to the bigger city.

But that was only another thing to add onto the rather large list of worrisome thoughts. Regina had been thinking herself sick about everything, and so much that she had fallen into a state that even Emma had never thought she'd see the brunette in.

Even though the brunette remained well-groomed and collect on the outside, she was unkempt and screaming on the inside. She was falling apart at the seams and the emotions taking over the teacher had terrified Emma to every extent there was.

There was no doubt in Emma's mind what Regina had, and she felt greatly for her. She wished that she could help the older woman through this, and she had for the most part ever since Cora had left. But her having to leave every weekend wasn't helping the matter and she wondered if Regina would ever feel normal again.

Of course, there were days where Regina acted as if nothing had happened and she was all laughs and smiles. Emma enjoyed those days, after the few that Regina had disappeared and left an empty shell in her place. She missed her lover's beautiful, radiant smile and the twinkle in her eyes when she laid them upon the blonde.

Now she rarely wore a smile on those days

, or at least it was empty when she gave it. Those mocha eyes were as dull as her hair was growing, losing the sleek and shiny appeal. Even though it was only striking a few days at a time, it was still taking its toll on the brunette teacher.

Emma, herself, was starting to feel much like Regina, though she refrained from letting herself keep within the darkness overwhelming her for too long. She needed to be strong enough for the both of them until Cora's reign of horror was over with.

If that day would ever come.

The blonde let out a soft sigh, pushing away the sudden drought of emotion that washed over her. She wasn't going to allow herself to become victim of what had taken over Regina. The feeling was something unpleasant and she absolutely hated it.

The last time she had felt like that was the Winter Formal and the weekend following.

But it was making up with Regina that had pulled her from the murky depths and gave her a shining light to cling onto.

She only wished she could have done that for the older woman herself, but whatever she did, her attempts bore no fruit.

Emma closed her eyes for a moment as she scooted towards Regina's small frame, an arm curling around the brunette's midsection, causing her to stir slightly. The younger woman only tightened her grip, reassuring the teacher that she was there when Regina had begun to speak.

"I'm home, and I sure as hell am glad." Emma whispered softly, burying her nose in the sweet scented raven locks before her. "I've missed you."

"Mmph, I've missed you, too." Regina murmured, yawning softly as she turned into the blonde, facing her with those loving coffee eyes. "It's late."

"Yeah, I know..." The blonde lay her head on the pillow next to Regina's, her voice apologetic. "Mary Margaret and David wanted to take me out to dinner. And then they kept me for a while, talking about graduation and plans to give me that Bug."

"Oh?" Another yawn tore itself from the brunette's throat, causing the blonde to giggle softly before she, too, yawned in reaction. "What did they say?"

"They'll give it to me on graduation day. After the ceremony, you know?"

Regina smiled lightly when Emma had placed a gentle hand on her cheek, her face turning into it as she savored the contact. "That's rather nice of them."

Emma absently nodded, the pad of her thumb making rhythmic strokes against the olive cheek below it. A smile curved her lips as she watched Regina savor the touch, her eyes slightly closing while she nuzzled against the hand with a faint purr.

"Gina?"

"Yes, my swan?" Those sparkling brown eyes opened and Emma realized that her lover wasn't in her haunting mood. She was happy today and that just made the blonde's heart soar.

"I love you..."

The smile that those words had earned could have exploded Emma's heart. It was bright, radiating like a vat of sunshine. Then those lips were on the blonde's before she could gather her wits, moving against her pale ones in a slow, tender kiss.

Emma made a soft noise as she returned the kiss, the palm of her hand flattening against Regina's cheek until the latter pulled away with a breathless smile.

"I love you, too, Emma." There was a pause as she pressed closer to Emma, intimately, but not sexually, as if she were looking for comfort. "I love you more than anything, though that may not say a lot since I really have nothing much in my life... But I _do_ value you more than I value my life and I would _gladly_ give it up just for you."

"Gina..." Emma frowned, her hand falling to the thigh wrapped around her own. "Don't say that. I'm not worth giving up your life for. You deserve to live."

"But not if that means you die, Emma. You have your entire life ahead of you, I would hate to see it be wasted."

"That won't happen. A situation like that... Unlikely." The younger woman quickly shook her head, holding that small brunette in front of her even closer. She was scared of the thought of ever having to lose Regina, especially to a force that could never be reversed.

The brunette nodded slightly, snuggling into the blonde, her face getting lost in the long, golden mane.

"I'm glad that you're feeling better." Emma found herself murmuring after a moment of silence. The limbs around her tightened, forcing the blonde to blink. Had she said something wrong?

"I have been feeling better for quite some time, Emma. I just worry myself too much at times," the confirmation to her statement tided over her fears.

The younger woman smiled, pale fingers snaking into dark locks.

Regina merely smiled, tugging that blonde in closer. "I've done some thinking, and you being here has helped quite a bit."

"Have I?" The blonde blinked, earning a slight nod.

"You always have, Emma. You kept me from slipping into the shadowy depths of this godforsaken hell." The brunette teacher shifted slightly until she was untangled from the blonde and on her back, staring absently up at the ceiling.

"I've got to thinking about how my attitude is affecting you. I... I've noticed that you haven't exactly been your upbeat self lately and you're constantly fretting over me. I cannot have that. I'm acting so..."

"You're depressed, Regina." Emma murmured softly, a frown claiming her lips. "You can't help it."

"But I need to, Emma. I cannot live the rest of my life like this. I need to pull myself up and brush the dirt off." Regina turned a haughty glare to her girlfriend, though the mood soon vanished into something of sorrow. Those mocha eyes melted, tears glistening in them.

The brunette swallowed thickly in the otherwise quiet room. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke her next words, her eyes sliding back towards the darkened ceiling. The dark void that seemed to swallow her up. "I know that you know how this feels, Emma, and I only wish that you never had to feel such lowliness in your life. You shouldn't have to go through this at your age. It just isn't right."

"It's okay," Emma murmured softly, her fingers gently skating across the teacher's bare arm.

Regina immediately wrapped her arms tight around the blonde, seeking solace in golden locks. "You are my rock. And you're still here, even though you could have given up on me so long ago..."

"There's no way I would ever give up on you, Regina. I'm here because I know _exactly_ how you feel and I'm not one of those ignorant assholes that's gonna tell you to suck it up, there's tomorrow... yadda yadda bullshit. I'm glad that I can just be of use and help you through this." The blonde's fingers fell into place once again, drawing tender circles along the brunette's back.

And for the first time in a long time, that very smile shown upon Regina's face. A gentle, genuine smile broke across her plump lips. The one that Emma had been waiting for, for so long.

Of course, Emma had quite enjoyed the beaming smile that she was given earlier, but this one just took the cake. It was that one that Regina gave her, trying to be oh so subtle every time she laid eyes upon the blonde. It was there.

"There it is. I've missed it." Emma whispered, one hand moving to cup the older woman's face, her thumb brushing over that curve on her lips.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been happier for you, Emma. I've been such a damned downer and that should change. I cannot put you through all this. You don't deserve it." Regina whispered, a look of guilt crossing over her features.

"Hey... don't worry about that, huh? It's not like you can help it and I'm not some ignorant asshole that's gonna tell you to lighten the fuck up and get over it, like I had said."

"I wish it were just that easy..."

"Me too..." Emma whispered, pale fingers sliding through raven locks once again.

Regina's brows furrowed slightly, a moment of silence passing between them before she spoke once again with a hesitant tone. "When you are around, Emma... my world doesn't appear to be so bleak. You are the single flame in the cave in which I had lost myself. You are ever aiding me to the ultimate goal, the brighter light... The exit to this hell. I... I can never cease to thank you enough for all that you have done for me, Emma Swan."

"No. Don't do that, Gina." Emma offered her a soft smile, her hand falling once again to rub circles against her back. "You know what you mean to me."

"There's something about you, my duck, and I thank whatever force had brought us together." She smiled and reached for the younger woman's hand.

"So do I." The blonde smile softly, pressing a kiss to her lover's forehead.

"Just hold me, Emma, and I will be fine." Regina murmured softly and nuzzled closer.

"Of course, Gina." Emma wrapped her arms tightly around Regina as the older woman shifted, half her body on the blonde.

"I will tell Mr. Gold tomorrow about my decision."

"Pardon?" Emma blinked at the sudden declaration, eyes popping open to stare down at the brunette. Regina merely nodded and gazed back up at her, a slight smile on her lips.

"The other part of my thoughts. Since I am feeling more... motivated, I have decided that I will speak with Mr. Gold about my resigning. No matter what, I will have to do just that before we can leave for Boston." She elaborated, her head falling back against the blonde's breast. "I know that I should have done it sooner... it would have eased my mind about my mother beforehand. But..."

"Okay." Emma murmured, her hand slipping underneath the back of the brunette's silk tank.

"Okay." Regina nodded slightly, shifting as the hairs on her body standing on end from the contact. "I only hope that it isn't too late."

"It won't be."

"I hope not." Regina murmured softly, moving fitfully in her spot before settling with closed eyes.

...

ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER

The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the estate, interrupting both Regina and Emma as they sat on the couch in the sitting room, the latter's laptop perched on each's thigh while they planned out what they were going to do for the blonde's upcoming graduation.

That very graduation was a week away and the two of them had been 'planning' for it for the entire month of May. Regina had suggested that they get it done with sooner rather than later so they would have an ease at mind and no troubles to run into when the time did come. Emma, of course, didn't necessarily care what happened and never though much to planning. She figured she'd get her graduation attire and go down the aisle to snatch up her diploma and be done.

But apparently she had been dead wrong when the brunette teacher insisted they needed to do much more than just that. Emma grudgingly complied as Regina sat her down to go over what she thought would be a fantastic plan.

And that plan consisted of nothing but boring talk that had the blonde _snoozing_.

Regina had come up with a list of events that the school would be hosting for its seniors and all of the special days within the following week of graduation.

Emma wouldn't have to go to classes so long as she attended one of the events that were to be hosted and Regina had insisted quite adamantly that she make the best of it. The blonde, not entirely thrilled, had agreed only since Belle and Killian were going as well.

And it also had helped that Regina volunteered quite willingly to chaperone certain events.

Like the one planned out for the seniors tomorrow. It would allow for them to skip the day's classes.

Choose at least one to attend. Breakfast buffet at one of the local restaurants, a free field-day hosted at the school, or spend the afternoon at an amusement park in one of the surrounding towns.

Regina had vouched to take Emma to get breakfast, for she had paid for the tickets before she could even open her mouth to protest. Or before she had even broken the news to Emma about the purchase.

Though, she had bribed the eighteen-year-old into taking her home and letting her sleep in. Regina still had to go back to school for the remainder of the day, though, which had not been all too appealing to the blonde.

"I was only able to volunteer for one of the events." Regina had said, frowning when Emma started to whine about not being able to have her cuddly panda there with her. "You can use the non-Mr. Pervert that you gave to me for my birthday."

That would have sufficed to shut Emma up about it for the rest of the day, though she was still not very pleased over the fact of having to get up in the morning, only to go back to bed without Regina.

There hadn't been any more time to complain when Regina shoved more plans down the blonde's throat, such as picking out a dress for the dance at the end of the year.

Emma protested.

Regina conquered.

She offered to dance with the blonde, and since school will have been over by then and Emma fully graduated, it should be fine. And even if not entirely, Regina didn't give any fucks whatsoever. She resigned. School was over. Emma was no longer her student.

Besides, it could be taken as a joke for the brunette teacher had seen other teachers dance with students just for the hell of it. Though, they had been to the distasteful, upbeat music that blared through the speakers.

Emma quite enjoyed the thought of that. The blonde's mouth even watered as she tried to imagine her lover dancing once again with the seductive sway of her hips as she had for their makeshift dance during the winter.

And they were currently in the middle of browsing dresses for said event when the doorbell had rang and interrupted Emma from pointing out a small, crimson number that she made a comment about wanting to see Regina in, dancing that very dance.

The brunette shot her young lover a negative look before setting the computer onto the coffee table so she could answer the door. Emma was right behind her within seconds, scurrying close as the older woman made her way to the foyer.

"Emma..." she whispered, shooing the blonde away. "We don't know who that is, unless you're expecting someone."

Emma quickly shook her head, soon realizing exactly what she had been doing as the reality of their relationship came to her like it did so many times. The blonde hung back in the doorway to the sitting room as Regina pulled open the front door, her expression that of surprise, but also distaste.

"Zelena, what brings you here?" That had piqued the teenager's interest as she soon found herself beside Regina, a brow quirked.

"Our mother. I would like to think you might appreciate the information that I bring to you." Zelena took the liberty to see herself in, forcing her younger sister to step back.

Regina's eyes narrowed, suspicion prickling the hairs on the back of her neck. "And what exactly do you have to tell me? I thought you had only talked with Cora once."

"About that..."

"Why the hell are you here? To spy on me for that woman?" The brunette stood stark upright, glaring down through her nose at the auburn haired woman before her. "I should have known you had been associating with her the moment that you entered my house. All of that information? She wouldn't have told you that within just one day."

"That is why I am here. I want to explain myself to you. I..." Zelena looked between her sister and the blonde that stood next to her, and then back. "I want to warn you about what that woman plans on doing."

"Why on Earth would you warn me? How could I ever trust the likes of you, Zelena, when you had come into my home and so blatantly lied to my face?"

"You lied to me, too, little sister." She was prickling moments later, those pale eyes shooting daggers at the darker woman in front of her. " _Sterile?_ I mean, come on! Sure, sterility may be an indirect problem if your lover is that of the same gender... And to think this... _girl_ wasn't anything the way that she had been acting with you that day. I am not stupid nor blind when I could clearly see what was written out in from of me." Zelena scoffed and Regina nearly lunged at her.

Instead, the brunette remained in her spot, expression stoic and stone cold. "Either tell me about Mother, or leave. I will not have you arguing with me over this once again."

"Fine." Zelena bit, her arms crossing over the deep, forest green dress that she wore. "But I suggest we find someplace more comfortable to have this conversation."

Without a word, Regina lifted an arm towards the sitting room before marching towards the direction. Emma followed as well as Zelena until the thrice of them had found their designated spots. Regina and Emma sat hip to hip on the couch as Zelena took the chair kitty-corner to it.

"Please, enlighten me with the information that you bring. What is Mother's plan?"

Zelena shifted slightly in her spot as if to get more comfortable, soon wetting her lips before she spoke, her crisp accent filling the room. "Her plan equates to something far more sinister than even my most wildest of imaginations could muster. That woman had snatched me up the moment that she had realized that I could be used as a pawn in her game. This game of hers was not fair... she wasn't fair."

"But that woman is _never_ fair." Regina mumbled, her lip curled.

"I know. She had cheated her way across the board as she always had in life, playing her role as the ruthless lawyer, tearing through mere innocents to get to where she wanted. Cora wanted nothing of me. She had merely feigned her sympathy as she took me under her wing. She only needed me to fly to you, my dear sister.

"Once she had gotten there, once she was sure that she had fully landed with her feet firmly planted on the ground, she tossed me aside like the trimmings of fat off a divine piece of meat. I am worthless, as she had said. I am disposable.

"Regina, I now understand of why you were quick to reject even the smallest of offers from that woman and I cannot cease to apologize enough for my quippy attitude upon our first meeting.

"I am unsure if you have ever known that I had been associating with our lovely mother when I first arrived. We had been talking for roughly two years as she brought me promise of inheriting the firm. I had not originally known who she was nor had I intended to steal what she had to offer until I stumbled upon her doorstep with the attitude of an adopted child that was curious to know of their birth parents, but she had not wanted to know me.

"It wasn't easy to sit that woman down long enough to convince her to let me in. It took weeks, near months until she had decided that I was adequate enough to take over the business that she had so evidently cherished. I would say that woman loved her firm more than the children that had grown in her womb.

"But it had all been just a mere ploy, in her natural habit. Though, I am not here to share the daily gossip and pity stories with you, little sister. I am here to warn you of what mother has waiting up her sleeve. She had spilled her ultimate plan to me, however insolent that had been. I can only assume that she had opened her plan for my knowledge to reel me onto her side, though at the time, I would have done just about anything to get my hands on that company.

"But now that she had banished me from her kingdom, I come to you with a plea. Please hear me out and be warned. Cora will stop at nothing until she gets your blonde lover away from you. She wants to revert you to her side. She wants you to be _normal_ , however she plans that. I know that you cannot be helped, but that woman is ever insistent and will stop at nothing until she gets exactly what she wants. I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact, but it will be something that I intend to stay away from after this." The older woman sighed, bringing her attention back to her younger sister as she had finished, her hands placed delicately on her lap.

"I already know that, Zelena. This news was never new to me. Do tell me something I do not know before I kick you out of my house for a waste of my precious time. Mother was so easy to tell me what she wanted, and if she hadn't so blatantly said it, I could still read her enough to figure out her formulated plan. I know our Mother. I have grown up with her, after all." Regina was now shifting impatiently in her spot on the couch, those coffee eyes staring her sister down with a harsh attitude. The hand that she had slipped into Emma's only tightened the more her irritation rose.

"In due time, little sis. It is pointless to take a side when I get nothing in return. Why I am ever helping the likes of you, I never know. Perhaps I am in a generous mood at the moment, or my need for revenge is burning something fierce. But alas, I will not repeat this a second time, so hear me well. This will be the last time we will ever be acquainted." The auburn haired woman sensed her younger sister's annoyance, for she shifted almost uncomfortably in her spot with a heated scowl of her own.

Zelena's words only made Emma squeak as the teacher's grip never faltered, her upper lip baring with disgust. "Then get to the damned point. I do not care _what_ side you are on, _you_ came here to tell me of our mother's plan, so do it. My patience is wearing thin."

"Yes, yes. Cora is planning on following you to Boston, track you down, what have you. She knows that you have finally moved to resign from your job- that woman has eyes and ears all over this town. But I assume that you know of her knowledge, for she had threatened that very thing of you during her departure.

"But that is not all that she knows. She also has knowledge of your plan on seeking employment at the very university that your young partner will be attending. Before you ask how she has knowledge of such information, I told you that she has eyes and ears all over this town... and more specifically in your bedroom in that stuffed rag of yours." There was a slight hesitance in Zelena's words, her face appearing to turn a sickly green as she thought of that very stuffed rag.

"How the hell do I know you're even telling the truth, Zelena? For all I know, you're still on Mother's side. No Mills woman can ever be trusted, especially ones associated with _her_." Regina was quick to bite back, wariness prickling the hairs on the back of her neck. She always had a feeling that there was something wrong with that bear her mother had given her. Cora wouldn't be so willing to hand back something from the brunette's childhood, especially something that she had grown so fond of during that time.

And that woman's knowledge of everything was alarming. Though she hadn't trusted her elder sister, she had a feeling that woman was telling her the truth.

"If you do not believe me, check the stitching on the back. Tear it open. Squeeze it. It's in there. I'm the one that had implanted the bug for her."

" _You?_ You've been spying on us?" Regina growled angrily. "This is all the more reason I should not trust a single word coming from your mouth. You could be lying, even about the bug."

"I cannot bring my very eyes to meet yours with some of the things that had been picked up from the device and I blush to think about it, but the information was valuable when you had conversations within distance of the bear...

"I cannot tell you exactly what mother has planned when she sees to it to bring herself to Boston with you, but she wants nothing more than that girl's head on a plate and you attached to a leash. She will stop at nothing to tear you two apart, even if that means destroying the very thing that you love. That is all I can warn you of, so I recommend that you prepare yourselves and watch your backs. Heed my advice before you become another victim of that woman's treachery."

"I already am a victim of Cora, Zelena. I have been for thirty-eight years. You have told me nothing of value." Regina coldly stated, standing from her spot.

It was true. Zelena had told her things that the brunette teacher had already known- sans the bug in her childhood memorabilia. Though, there was still no reason to believe her sister's tellings about any of this. For all Regina knew, that woman could still be playing on her mother's side of the board. As Zelena had said, she would stop at nothing to get her hands on that company and was greedy enough to hurt anyone in her way, just as Cora was.

But there was still an itching feeling that Regina had, taunting her in the back of her mind. Zelena was telling the truth. Regina knew it, she could _feel_ it. Though she couldn't shake the thoughts of why her redheaded older sister was helping her _now_.

"Well, don't say that I hadn't warned you, dear sister. When you find Emma six feet underground by this month's end, do not come crying to me. My shoulder will be far away from all this drama." Then she stood, coolly gliding towards the foyer with Regina to follow.

The words that she had just spoken sliced through the brunette's heart like a knife through butter. She had no doubt her mother would turn to violence if nothing else worked, and there was not a doubt in her mind that Cora would even be willing to kill Emma if the time came, and the price right.

The faintest of noises bubbled within her throat at the thought. She quickly reached behind her to seek out Emma's hand, her heart squeezing in her chest when she had found it.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She lightly inquired before Zelena could open the front door.

The older woman paused, slowly turning around to find large, brown eyes reflecting back on her. Zelena's own pale eyes fell to their intertwined hands, a flash of emotion flickered in them, disappearing before Regina could make out what it was. Then she brought those hesitant eyes back up to meet with her sister's, her voice quiet as she spoke.

"Because I can see the love between you two, and I have heard the idle conversation after Mother was long off to bed. I can see, even now, how strong you two adore each other, and I know that it is something _rare_ to have a love like that." Zelena shifted, leaning against the door for a moment as she looked between the duo, her lips twitching when she saw the two lovers share a warm glance towards each other as they contemplated those words.

"I was so blinded by Mother's offer that I hadn't thought to actually take a _look,_ to see things as you see them _,_ unlike Cora who just wants nothing more than for her daughter to be normal. But normality is not something we should live by." There was a slight pause as Zelena exhaled, a haunted look on her face. "We are all different in some way, and that's okay. I was never disgusted by the fact that you were a lesbian. In fact, one of my friends had turned out to be gay and I covered for him rather often."

"Really?" Regina's eyes widened slightly at the new information, earning a nod from her older sister. The redheaded woman's information was easing the prickling sensation, though it was still faint. Was she trying to drag Regina onto her side? Or was this just another ploy to do just that so Regina would let her guard down?

"I am not bigoted like our dear Mother, though, I was willing to do or be just about anything to please her, even if that meant narrowing my mind. You are not sick, Regina, no matter what Cora has embedded into your mind. Love knows no boundaries and that is the most beautiful thing. You are lucky when you find that one person; your soul mate.

"And I... I just cannot let Mother ruin that for you. So I had come to warn you, though it may not be much. But at least you will be prepared and you can fight her back. Take control of your life and... protect Emma." Her gaze fell on the young blonde, looking indifferent as she forced a smile on her face. "I wish you two long, happy lives where your love will flourish as will your family. Please, Regina, trust me on what I am telling you. Protect Emma. Get her away. Get away from it all."

"And how do you propose that I do that?" Regina's voice was quiet as she thought about what her older sister had said, a wave of panic suddenly gripping her every nerve.

"Don't go to Boston. Or, at least, don't bring your precious Emma to Boston. Leave her here. Mother knows where you are going, and everything that you will be doing. You have discussed too much while you were in your bedroom and I am afraid that she had heard everything you have on your agenda-"

"I cannot just leave Emma here. She was the one that wanted to go to Boston in the first place. I will not take that away from her." The brunette woman slipped an arm around her girlfriend's waist, tugging her close against her. The blonde remained quiet, though her forest green eyes were a whirlwind of emotion.

"Then be warned, Regina." Zelena's voice turned solemn as she gazed upon the two women in front of her, soon tearing it away as she turned to open the front door. "So long as Cora is alive, she will stop at nothing until her daughter needs her."

And then she was gone, leaving Regina to stare at the door in front of her.

_So long as Cora is alive, she will stop at nothing until her daughter needs her._

Those words echoed through her mind, shaking her to her very core.

Regina had only ever really _needed_ her mother once in her life, and that was when she was in absolute despair with no job, nor a roof over her head. And that thought had only driven the teacher into further insanity. She didn't have a job, and the one lined up in Boston hadn't responded back to her application.

But she still had a roof. She still had the place in which she stood, or so her mother had offered her up before her departure. Though, Cora still owned the house and she could take it away from Regina within a matter of seconds.

There was still that apartment that she was renting in Boston.

She still had a roof.

She didn't need to fall back on her mother.

But then the squeeze against her side had her heart sinking to her feet.

Cora would kill Emma if she had to, to get Regina to fall back on her.

The brunette teacher wasn't stupid enough to run to her mother if that were to happen. And she was sure the lawyer wasn't, either. So what did that woman have up her sleeve?

"Gina, are you going to be alright?" Emma's soft, sweet voice queried from beside her.

"Uh... yes. I will be, sweetheart." Regina offered her a hesitant smile, tilting her head to press a soft kiss to the blonde's lips. "Now, come on. We've still got some planning to do for your graduation."

...

"Up up up!" A husky voice and hand on her arm had woken Emma, or at least roused her from the light slumber she was trying to partake in. Her emerald eyes popped open to meet with dark chocolate, and ablinked… then blinked again once she had realized where exactly those brown eyes were.

Regina was on her knees at the side of the bed, an amused smile on her lips as a hand gently stroked the golden locks on her young lover's head. "Good, you're awake. Now you need to get up and get your little tush ready so we can go eat breakfast."

"What time is it?" Emma muttered, soon realizing that it had come out as a whine when the brunette gave her _that_ look.

With a soft _tsk_ , Regina pushed herself up from her position on the floor to gaze at the electronic clock on the opposite side of the bed. "It's a quarter to eight."

" _What?_ " The blonde squawked up at the brunette before rolling over, tossing the blankets over her head and snuggling back down against the mattress. "Breakfast doesn't start until, like, nine-thirty. That's a whole _hour_ _and a half_."

"While you are correct, Emma, you are also misguided. You understand, _I_ have to be at the restaurant early to help with preparations. I know that it may sound completely inane to go so early before the students arrive, and a teacher at that since the owners of the eatery should be able to take care of such preparations, but- and yes, there's a but- it's my job. There are too many students that will _not_ be attending that have not paid, which means that we have to set up lines and tables by last names, and need I remind you how _tedious_ it is to be a teacher sometimes." The English teacher gazed down to the blonde who had eventually found her way onto her back to be met with a charming smile.

"I would suggest that you could sleep in until the time for the students to attend breakfast would come but I don't want to go alone." She puffed out her bottom lip, giving Emma a pouty, puppy-dog look. It hadn't lasted long before she burst into a short bout of laughter from the confused face the blonde gave her and shook her head. "No, but I suppose if you would prefer to stay here for another hour, I am fine with that. I wouldn't think you'd want to sit in the car for that period of time because I'm uncertain if any early bird students are allowed into the restaurant before the designated breakfast time."

"Like any of these teenagers will be early." The blonde mumbled under her breath as she sat herself up, a lengthy yawn ripping from her throat. "If there's an opportunity to sleep in, we take it."

"More than just teenagers will jump at that opportunity, dear." Regina chuckled softly as she made her way to the bathroom. "We are all human, after all, and most people in this day and age enjoy sleeping in." There was a pause as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, making a face. "Except for those morning people. I am fully convinced that they are not human, or at least sane. How on Earth can someone be so _cheery_ that early in the day?"

Emma chuckled softly, her head shaking. "Beats me with a wooden stick."

"I'd like to beat you with a wooden stick." The brunette's voice had dropped incredibly low, causing the hairs on the blonde's body to stand on end, her eyes slightly widening.

"Yeah, but there isn't any time. I apologize." She smirked soon after, donning a tantalizing visage as she pushed the covers off her. Emma stood from the bed, Regina watching with a soft grin of her own.

"Oh, you are quite maddening, aren't you?"

"Indeed I can be." The blonde gave her a look, one that resembled that of a satisfied cat. "Now, why don't you get ready and I'll-"

"Take a shower with me." Regina interrupted, pulling the groggy teenager up from the bed before she could protest.

Emma grumbled softly, mostly obscenities from being pulled out of bed as she followed her girlfriend to the _en suite_ bathroom. Her eyes were heavy, her body exhausted from the lack of sleep the night previous. The two of them had fretted over Zelena's untimely visit and her near futile warning that only set Regina's already frazzled nerves on end.

After Emma had successfully distracted Regina from her worries, the two of them had finished with their current objective for the upcoming graduation, ordering their dresses for the dance and completed any other preparations that they had come up with. Emma was sure that they had that day planned out down to the very second.

Regina was satisfied, and that had meant Emma was as well, for she didn't have to hear the former nag on about procrastination. Though the canary would keep singing since the very word was Emma's middle name when it came to school, or at least its events.

Which was her reluctance this morning as she trailed behind Regina, her slender wrist in the brunette's tight grasp.

"Oh, come on, my dear." The teacher mewled, tugging at her young lover's tank top as they had found themselves in the lavatory. Emma couldn't help but to smile, her body responding already to Regina's gentle touches. Her mind was becoming more alert, her eyes widening. She couldn't stay grouchy for long around that woman, especially when she wore _that_ smile- rich and seductive.

Regina really was feeling better, and that definitely was a good thing.

"What will you bribe me with this morning?" Emma cheekily responded to the older woman's earlier statement. There was a moment's hesitation before Regina had spoken, her olive fingers plucking at the blonde's straps.

"We haven't much time, my love." These fingers soon found soft, ivory skin as they delicately danced over Emma's cheek.

"But perhaps I may have something to offer in the form of a metaphorical rain check… That is, if you do not mind?"

"And when might this later be, if not now? Can't we just kill two birds with one stone in the shower?" Emma gave her a sultry look, her lower lip catching between her teeth.

"I apologize." Regina frowned for but a moment, her palm flattening against the younger woman's face. Emma turned into it, her features softening. "How about a down payment? If I allow you to… wash me, will you hold out until breakfast is over?"

"Lemme think about that." Emma smirked, turning her head to press a gentle kiss to Regina's hand.

"Are you honestly going to start this game when we have very little time to play it?" The teacher clucked with an arched brow.

Emma chuckled, moving away from Regina as she peeled her sleepwear off. "I accept your proposition."

Molten chocolate eyes ate up the exposed, pale flesh in front of her. A faint smirk quirked her lips as those very orbs met with Emma's, one foot moving in front of the other. The distance soon closed between them, the inches waning as Emma matched each step forward with one back before hitting the wall behind her.

Hard, cool tile shocked the blonde, her entire backside felt frozen against the bathroom wall. Her front side was soon covered by warm, satin-like flesh as Regina's petite frame pressed tightly against the younger woman. Tawny fingers, slender and nimble, skated up pale sides while a soft giggle slipped from Emma's lips at the contact, her body squirming the more those fingers explored.

"You're wiggling all over the place, dear." Regina chuckled, her breath was hot and moist as it caressed Emma's neck with each puff.

"That's because you're tickling me." The blonde wrinkled her nose playfully, knowing that her words were rather obvious, as told by the expression that the older woman had donned.

"Is that so?" She quirked a brow, those fingers not ceasing their movements as she continued to trace the contour of her lover's body.

Emma made a soft sound and she nodded, her own hands finding themselves on the brunette's behind to pull her closer. Regina smirked slowly, mouth dropping to the younger woman's pale neck, pressing the softest of kisses to the warming surface. They hummed in unison, breathing ragged in the small room as the two of them made a tango backwards towards the shower- Regina in lead.

"Come, dear. We mustn't waste time." The brunette murmured with a breath, one foot rising to enter the tub as she continued to tug at her younger lover, urging her to join.

Emma didn't hesitate to respond to the demand, readily moving under the warm spray of water that Regina had started as soon as the older woman was fully in. The blonde took her position behind the brunette, watching as the tawny-skinned woman stepped underneath the warming water to wet her hair.

It was then that Emma couldn't take her eyes off that raven-haired beauty, those forest eyes raking over the beads of water rolling down flawless skin. Every inch of the teacher was pure woman. From those perfect toes painted crimson to the big, sparkling brown eyes watching her, warm with emotion.

"Are you watching me?" Regina's voice rumbled off the tile, one of those brows quirking. "Someone sure is a voyeur."

Emma smirked, not at all ashamed of being caught staring. "I totally am when I'm voyeuring your sexy body."

A soft giggle bubbled in the brunette's throat at the younger woman's remark, her head shaking as she grabbed Emma's arm to bring her under the spray in which the blonde was anything but ready for. She squeaked softly when the water suddenly covered her face, causing her to sputter out the water that managed to enter her mouth.

"You're too dramatic for your own good." Regina tittered, maneuvering around the blonde as she made her way behind Emma to grab the shampoo.

"You totally shoved me under that water!" The amused spark in her eyes had Regina chuckling even more. However she found the blonde's reaction so amusing, she would never know. Perhaps it was the look Emma was giving her with those green doe-eyes staring incredulously at her or the way her already thin lips seemed to disappear into a tight line.

"You say 'totally' way too much for your own good, dear." The teacher's words were short bubbles of laughter until they had finally subsided, leaving her to stare quietly at her partner, lips parted to take in the oxygen her lungs had lacked.

"I do not! 'Totally' is totally not my word." There was a pause before Emma blinked and looked as if she had wanted to slap herself. "... I did _not_ mean to do that. You didn't hear it."

"Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." Regina held up the apple scented shampoo, her visage stoic as if she weren't at all nude, wet, and in the shower, holding that bottle of shampoo like it were a mighty talisman.

And it was that very fact that had the blonde teenager suppressing the giggles threatening to spill out of her mouth. She forcibly swallowed them down, immediately turning around as she did so to hide the upcoming expression on her face. But her action had allowed Regina to snatch up the damp golden locks in one hand and lather them with the fruity soap held in her other.

Emma stood there quietly, allowing her lover to wash her hair with a relatively large smile on her face and let her mind wander. The two of them often showered together, lest it to save time or just spend time together- although they literally spend almost every hour of the day together. The blonde always loved hopping into the steamy shower with the older woman.

The way Regina's slender fingers moved through the wet slab of her hair relaxed her into an eternal bliss. They massaged her scalp in a way that she never thought would take her to such a serene place with warm, wet water pouring down her back and the slick skin of the brunette's body occasionally brushing against her backside.

Emma's eyes fluttered shut as she allowed the memories to merge with reality, her body swaying slightly as it automatically leaned into Regina's own when the older woman tried to reach the top of her head. A soft hitch of air sounded behind her from the newest contact which had only sent a sliver of heat coursing down the teenager's spine.

The pleasurable tingle only grew unfathomably unbearable as Regina kept adding incredulous amounts of friction with each movement she made to rinse the shampoo from Emma's long locks. Her breasts felt hard against the soft skin of the blonde's pale back, which had only alerted Emma of her own arousal, causing her own body to grow heavier with sudden desire. Her breath was nothing but mere puffs of repressed air, her heart drumming against her chest in a rapid tattoo.

"You're… ah, all rinsed out, my dear." Regina's words were strangled, hoarse, as if she hadn't talked in days.

"Yeah. Thanks." Emma tried to nonchalantly shrug off the small moment as she stepped forward and turned around to face the brunette before her. Those once chocolate brown eyes turned almost black since the last time she had seen them. A lip found its way between her teeth, getting chewed like a rubber bone when that shampoo was handed to her.

"You're welcome." The teacher murmured, stepping into the shower of water to re-wet her hair so Emma could repeat the same process she had just done on her young lover.

And so Emma had, as quickly and carefully as possible, trying hard to keep from fueling the soft-burning flame already lit in her lower belly. She was overall successful, only brushing against the brunette once when the muscles in her stomach had grown tired.

"And you're all finished!" Emma finally breathed, glad that the torture of shampooing was over, though the shower was far from that.

The two of them had quickly put in their own conditioner, allowing it to sit as they gathered up the small loofas to lather with soap. In which had started yet another difficult task.

The two of them rarely made it out of the shower without fooling around at least a little bit, but with the limited time on their hands, they would have to skip the naughty acts in order to make it to the restaurant on time.

Well, on time in Regina's sense since the teacher had to be there before the rest of the students in order to organize the breakfast before they came. That fact still had Emma boiling, but she had tried to make peace with it in order to get through with the day so she was able to return home to sleep once again.

Unfortunately, they were stuck with little time and a day of frustration until the older woman returned from her day at work. Emma tried to keep that in mind as said woman made circular motions on her back with the soapy loofa. No matter how good that felt, or how many tingles were shot straight down her spine to pool in the lower of her belly, the blonde had to keep it sated. She had to keep her mind away from the gutter.

Which, of course, proved rather difficult because that damned loofa was moving towards her front side and brushing against a very sensitive part of her. The faintest of whimpers fell from Emma's lips at that moment and she knew just then that Regina had heard her because the brunette paused.

"Do you like that?" She whispered and Emma could just _hear_ the smirk in her pleased tone.

"I'm not allowed to disclose that information." The teenager choked, her words wavering on the tip of her tongue.

The sounds of Regina's husky laughter fell off the tiled walls of the shower, drowning Emma in the rich sea of the honeyed tune. The blonde bit her lip, her head turning slightly to look at the tanned woman behind her. She stood there, wearing nothing but a salacious smirk on her face as the cooling water drummed on her flawless skin, sliding in cool drops down every delicious curve of her body.

Emma could have died and gone to heaven just then. Her heart pounded almost painfully against her chest, feeling as if the organ would burst from her chest at any moment.

"Does that mean that you don't like it, love?" Regina never lost that smirk, but instead gained a sultry complexion with a lower lip disappearing into her mouth. "Or you do and you just don't want to admit it because of what I said?"

"No answer." The blonde immediately murmured, eyes as wide as a deer caught in headlights. "Clean time. It's time to get clean. We can't get dirty. No time."

"As much as I would love to disagree with that statement, I must, unfortunately, concur." Regina leaned forward to press her plump lips softly against her young lover's in a chaste kiss. Her fingers closed around Emma's slender wrist as the blonde responded, her mind buzzing as it disappeared into a blissful void.

Then all too quickly it was over and Regina was stepping away, leaving a breathless Emma to watch the older woman pass over the loofa with a sultry smile. "Now it's your turn."

"Gratefully!" The blonde beamed, not hesitating as she took the loofa from her lover. Quickly, she traded places with the teacher, allowing Regina under the showerhead as she grabbed the body soap.

"Unfortunately we do not have much time," Regina whispered, watching as the teenager used a hand to lather the soap into a foamy substance. "I do hate to cut the time short."

"I'll do my best to hurry. You need cleaned." Emma gave her a cheeky grin as she already began to scrub at the olive skin of the brunette's arm. "I mean… not saying that you're filthy or stinky or anything, but… you know. Hygiene stuff."

With a tsk, the teacher lifted her arms up to allow the blonde more access. "Yes, of course. I understand." Regina gave her a wry smile, twirling around teasingly as Emma had continued, making circular motions across the older woman's back.

"Rub-a-dub-dub." Emma snickered under her breath, drawing closer to Regina's backside. She let her chin on the older woman's shoulder as her hands wrapped around said woman's waist, loofa still squeezed tight in her hand. "Two women in a tub."

"… Emma, no." But the words were a chuckle as they left Regina's lips, her body rumbling against Emma's front with a pleasant tingle. "We need to hurry."

"I know!" The blonde jutted out her lower lip, but made haste as she quickly scrubbed the rest of her girlfriend's body, trying her best to ignore the hitched breaths that it earned. Her efforts to block out the sweet, erotic noises remained futile for it only increased tenfold, the blonde's abdomen feeling as if it were aflame.

"I… I think that you're clean enough, right?"

"Right," Regina couldn't seem get the word out of her mouth fast enough, but as soon as it had left her lips, Emma dropped the shower puff as if it were a hot coal.

The two quickly rinsed off whatever soap was left from their bodies, eyes shying away from each other's nude forms. They needn't waste any more time than they already had and the two of them knew that, for distraction was plentiful in a shower that held the two closer than peas bound in a pod.

And that pod was quite _suffocating_ when there was no time to play.

Emma had found that out the hardest way of all as she grabbed a towel from the rack to quickly sponge off the remaining beads of water, rapidly cooling her skin with goose bumps. She dared a glance towards her older lover, white terrycloth over her golden mane to allow her a sneaking look.

Regina was standing there in front of the mirror, towel already wrapped around her thin frame in a toga-style while she stood with her fingers in her hair in an attempt to tame the wild and wet mane that she called her hair. She donned a slight pout on her plump, pink lips when she discovered her fingers merely tangled in the dark, damp locks.

"I need a brush and stat." The older woman's deep voice rumbled next to the blonde who quickly covered her face up with the towel.

If she were going to be caught staring, she was going to do it with dignity.

Whatever grace came out of covering her face oh so conspicuously with that white terrycloth. Emma grinned behind the towel for a moment when a pause lilted Regina's statement because that gave her away. The blonde quickly fluffed the rest of the water from her hair, donning the same toga-style that Regina had with her own towel.

"… May you please hand it to me?"

"Uh, yeah." Emma passed over the brunette's hairbrush before going in to grab her own, quickly combing out the tangles in her hair until it was a satisfactory sheet of wet locks.

Meanwhile, Regina was nursing her hair with special lotions and mousses, (or whatever the hell she held in those bottles she squirts into her hair), and a hairdryer that let those clumpy chocolate strands transform into the usual fluffy locks.

And then those perfect, pink lips moved as the familiar husky voice erupted from them. "Take a picture, dear, it will last longer."

Emma blinked slightly, realizing this was directed at her. Of course, considering the two of them were the only ones in the bathroom. The blonde hadn't realized she was watching the brunette's transformation from wet cat to fluffy kitty.

"You're amazing." She found the words pouring out of her mouth before the teenager could even form a proper sentence to give instead.

"Well, I do suppose I just have that… aura about me, yeah?" The teacher gave her a wink and fluffed the ends of her hair up.

"Oh definitely, Gina." Emma giggled softly, leaning in to quickly brush her lips against the older woman's olive cheek, then quickly dropped her towel and hopped from the bathroom with another chuckle.

The blonde immediately heard a soft noise behind her and the light pad of footsteps as she made her way across the bedroom in order to locate the clothes that she had set out earlier. She quickly donned her undergarments, relieving the awkward breeze of air hitting her bare bits and was about to reach for her jeans when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Emma paused momentarily, a smile curving her lips into something sweet when the scent of her girlfriend's spicy perfume tore through her senses and consumed her. She leaned into the rich aroma, her head resting against the older woman's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She inquired quietly, eyes sliding towards the digital clock on the bed to note the time. There wasn't long before they needed to leave. Which was rather unfortunate, she thought as her eyes fluttered shut and let the warmth of the other consume her.

"Holding you for a moment." Regina's reply was a breeze of air against the blonde's ear, earning another tug of her lips. She was warm against Emma's backside. She was _real_ and _alive_. Each breath that the brunette took shadowed the blonde's own, lulling her into a sweet trance; freezing time to just that _moment_.

"I love you, you know that?" Emma chuckled her words, though there was no humor behind it. She merely wrapping her arms around Regina's as her lover had replied with the equivalent, voice saturated with the feeling of the words she told.

The blonde could float, her head was so far above her. The skies were glorious with the sun as a splotch of yellow light, brightly lighting her path amongst the cotton-like clouds dotting the cerulean backdrop. The breeze caressed her skin like soft, warm fingers and carried the faint scent of faraway perfumes.

Regina perfumes.

 _Very_ close Regina perfumes.

And the airway that they traveled by seemed to suddenly slap her violently against the face as a harsh storm permeated the surrounding area. The sound of crackling thunder roared in her ears as the sound of a familiar voice, reattaching the bonds she broke from reality.

"We need to be leaving soon, so I guess I should… get dressed." The teacher pulled from the blonde, slowly as her hands seemed to linger on the younger woman's abdomen.

Soft, tawny fingers gently caressed the pale, milky flesh leaving behind small bumps in their wake as they slid outwards, then up the sensitive sides with a teasing pattern. Emma was left shifting awkwardly in her spot, keeping herself from wiggling about as those digits explored further up her curves with shocking electricity with each movement, eventually turning onto her back to detach with reluctance as the connection was lost. The hairs on the blonde's body stood on end, the electricity seizing her every nerve into a shock of pure bliss as it rang up her spine and straight to her brain.

Heat slowly began to dissipate from her body. The once small, pleasant bumps turned into much more unpleasant tingles as the very real breeze bit into her skin, leaving her to shiver. How tedious.

Emma opened her eyes after a few moments longer, soaking in the surrounding area. She stood in front of the bed where she had been previously with her forgotten clothes in front of her, neatly folded on the mattress. A sigh forced its way from the blonde's body as she picked up her shirt once again, jade orbs sliding towards the colored numbers beside the bed. It felt as if they had been standing there for longer than that clock had shown, though she supposed that she shouldn't exactly complain. They didn't want to run late, after all.

It wasn't long before Emma had finished completing her attire, complete with shoes and all. Regina, on the other hand, was at the mirror with a hand up to her face as she perfected her maquillage. Though, what need was there for her to even put that hunk of face paint on when she was gorgeous without? Emma couldn't fathom it, but whatever Regina had desired the blonde wouldn't argue.

Silently, Emma made her way behind the older woman to observe each delicate stroke she made with the brush against her cheek and the amusing way she sucked her cheeks in to do so. The blonde gave a soft giggle at that, though tried her best to stifle it behind a hand too late for the brunette quirked a brow at her through the mirror.

"What is so amusing? You have seen me put on makeup before."

The answer clung to the air, drawing it thicker as silence remained. Emma merely shrugged, lips pursed together because she did this every time Regina asked that question after she giggled. She was sure the brunette knew by now but chose not to say so. After all, what was the pleasure in knowledge when feigning ignorance was less mediocre?

"Sometimes I worry for your sanity, Emma." Regina gave a short giggle before going back to her makeup. "You are quite lucky that I tolerate your tomfoolery."

"Are you _quite_ sure about that?" The blonde smirked, setting her chin on the brunette's shoulder. "I do not wish to impede on your life, Ms. Mills."

" _Ooh_ , so you're going to play _that_ card?" Chestnut irises connected with forest orbs, an airy upturn of crimson lips reflected in the mirror.

Emma quickly nodded, kissed the brunette's cheek, and stepped away. "Indeed I am. What are you going to do? Give me detention?"

"Oh, I might be able to think of a punishment suitable for you." The teacher quickly finished up with her current objective before putting the cosmetic items away. "But, of course, that would have to be later."

"You could always take breakfast away from me?" Emma grinned from across the room, her jacket already donned with the car keys in her hand.

"There is no way in hell that I would do that."

"And why not?"

"Give me those!" Regina was already on the blonde's side of the room, snatching those very keys from her younger lover's hand as she walked out the door. "And because I said no. Now get your little tush moving or there won't be any sort of _anything_ later… Promises or not."

"You can't do that!" The blonde's words sounded like a pout as she stumbled after Regina.

"Just watch me."

"No!"

"Keeps saying 'no' and so will I every time you ask."

" _Oh_ , you're so _cold_." Emma growled softly as she found herself in the Mercedes-Benz.

Regina was already in the driver's seat with the keys in the ignition, her gaze quickly turning to the blonde as she settled. Her eyes were full of mischief when they met with the blonde's, the sardonic smirk on her lips only seemed to grow wider as Emma reacted.

"I know I can be, dear, but you needn't make a remark of it."

"Of course I do. What else am I here for?" The blonde smiled, shifting to put her seatbelt on last moment as Regina pulled out of the driveway.

"I can think of quite a few reasons, but I will not bore you with such trivial detail." The brunette teacher grinned at the road ahead, remaining ignorant to the soft grunt of protest that her statement had earned.

"Excuses, excuses, Regina."

"I wouldn't speak, Emma."

That clammed the blonde up, her jaw snapping shut just like the sea creature itself. She pressed herself against the seat and sought out the scenery around them, realizing that their destination was far closer than she had anticipated.

Of course, this was a small town after all. Nothing was far from anything and it was plenty easy to make good time, even if you were running late. That's what Emma enjoyed the most about living in Storybrooke, but she was also itching to go somewhere large which was why the two of them had decided on moving down to Boston.

Besides, it wasn't like they couldn't visit the small town every once in a while. There were still common interests left here and Emma wouldn't leave her loving foster parents on the do not call/visit list.

"Would you prefer to wait out here, or would you like to come in?" Regina turned to Emma, breaking the blonde from her wandering thoughts once again.

"What do you think is best?" The blonde's inquiry was a yawn as she unbuckled herself and stretched. "I should probably just stay out here. It's nice. I'll take a little walk around until I should come in."

Regina's attention never left Emma as she spoke, her warm, mocha eyes searching the younger woman's face while she processed the words. "Alright, sweetheart. I will message you when it gets close to opening."

"Perfect." Emma grinned, hand searching for the door hand to pop it open only to be stopped by a hand on her thigh. She ceased movement, her entire body tensing as she withdrew her gaze from the sidewalk next to her and towards the sweet little brunette seated beside her.

"I'll see you in a bit." Her eyes had a momentary look of confliction in them as she hesitated with her movements, just staring at Emma for a long few seconds before finally pulling away with a clear of her throat.

"Yeah." Emma nodded, shot her a smile, and hopped out. She would take a brisk walk around the block, text Belle where the hell she was, try to search her friend down, and head back to eat all the food that she could stuff into her stomach.

With another yawn, the young blonde stepped further onto the sidewalk and began to head off, her eyes catching on the brunette as she passed. Her footsteps slowed. Regina walked with the elegance of a queen and wore the aura of regality. It was impressive for the woman was merely a teacher and nothing more. But, oh, she really _was_ so much more.

Emma could have melted at those few seconds as she watched the small woman cross into the restaurant, one black high heeled foot in front of the other, the muscles in her calves working as she moved only visible from the knee-length blue dress that hugged every succulent curve of her perfect physique.

Only if it were cooler, Emma might have been able to quickly walk off the heat sweating her out of the jacket that she wore. She finally tore her gaze away from the teacher's plump rear end when she disappeared into the restaurant.

"Walk. Walk. Walk." She muttered to herself, turning around to head off in the opposite direction, and pulled her phone from her pocket. She was already anxious to get home and get that rain check cashed in.

It was only a quarter to nine.

How long was breakfast going to be, now?

Too long.

Breakfast seemed as if it were too long… And too filling.

By the time Emma was parked in the passenger's seat of the Mercedes, her stomach felt as if it were going to _pop_. Groaning softly, the blonde tried to shift into a more comfortable position to relieve the pressure.

"How could so much good food be so painful?" The teenager lamented, hand brushing over her slightly extended stomach.

Regina had a look on her face that expressed the answer with her eyebrows in her hairline and her lips pursed into a thin line. "Well, you _did_ have several plates of food, dear."

" _No_. I didn't have _that_ much. It… just looked like it." Emma huffed softly, thinking back to the restaurant. She went up to gather several plates of food, that was true, but each plate only harbored one or two separate things. Things that she only thought of while she was eating her previous plate.

Her scattered thoughts made her look like a pig.

And her stomach made her feel like one, too.

"Only if you say so, Emma." The teacher let out a soft snort at the comment, the corner of her mouth quirked.

Then it hit Emma like a ton of bricks. She wasn't the only one stuffing her face at the restaurant. Oh, hell no. There were plenty of other people doing the same, and even more so, and that was including…

"I wouldn't talk, Ms. I- _Need_ -That-So-I'll-Pile-It-On-My-Plate-As-Much-As-I-Can-And-Pretend-It's-Dignified." The blonde quirked a brow at Regina, giving her a tight little grin. And she _stared_ at her until the brunette looked over with wide eyes and a guilt ridden smile.

" _Emma_."

"It's not a lie, _dear_." Emma chuckled, stealing Regina's well-known endearment. "I watched you like a hawk."

Regina gave her a sideways glance, lips quirking into a salty smirk. "Simply because we dined at the same table, my dear, sweet teacher's pet."

"Only because I didn't know where else to sit." The blonde bantered, blood rising to the surface of her cheeks.

"You may tell yourself that…" A sing-songy hum sounded from beside the pouting blonde, instantly turning the frown upside down as she tittered at the response. "What?"

"Us. We're just…" The giggles were free as they fell from Emma's lips, each a melodic tune that resounded in the small vehicle. "Bickering, you know?"

"Bickering? Do you honestly believe _this_ to be bickering?" Regina quirked a brow, looking half-amused, yet piqued. Though this had merely earned another shrug, the saucy grin on Emma's face leaving the question to dangle in the car's thick air.

"Sometimes I wonder about you, Ms. Swan." The brunette teacher chuckled, turning onto their street.

"It's playful banter. Something to keep it… all spiced-up, you know?" Emma finally elaborated, emerald hues focused idly on the pavement that passed ahead.

There was a soft hum before the following response, almost as if it were holding back laughter. "Well, I would have figured keeping a relationship spiced-up would include other… properties other than playful banter. Now, _that_ would be keeping things interesting."

"Then what do you conclude would be keeping things all spicy?"

"Oh, I do have a few ideas, my dear." The tone of Regina's voice seemed to have dropped dramatically, clinging onto a husky tone that mirrored her welling thoughts. "You see, I _do_ have a check to cash in."

"Indeed you do." Sudden excitement shot straight through the blonde, bringing back memories of their morning and her rain check promise. She grinned widely, not at all modest enough to high it. "And how might you plan on doing that?"

"I believe it starts out a little like this…" The brunette woman leaned forward, lips pursed as she pressed a kiss against the blonde's nose. "And, perhaps a little of this…" Her voice was an absent hum as she brought those sultry red lips to the pale skin of Emma's cheek. "Mm… and maybe a little here…" The next tender kiss was placed just a mere lip-width down.

Emma's breath hitched with each feather-light peck that was brushed against her skin, tickling like a butterfly's wings. The curve of her lips turned upwards when those tantalizing lips explored further, each hot and breathy word that the brunette muttered along with them stirred up a fire that threatened to _blaze_.

She nearly groaned when those lips finally made it closer to her own, pressing firmly against the corner of her smile. Her lips _ached_ to be covered by the older woman's by now, her entire mind focused on the newest desire.

"And one final kiss to set the sail," the brunette rumbled, the words nearly lost in their mingled breaths as she closed the distance with the long-awaited kiss, her wish granted as red meshed with light pink. A soft, sweet kiss it was, only lasting a mere second before she came down again, this time a little rougher.

And the rougher, the better. Emma groaned at the newest sensation, her body responding eagerly as she moved across the bench seat, arm wrapping around the older woman's waist to pull her closer. Regina responded in time, her fingers snaking up the blonde's back and through those delicate curls as she slowly moved into the kiss.

"Car?" Emma breathed between the next kiss and the last, her pupils dilated.

"Car?" Regina echoed, not at all ready for their intimate moment to be complete. She drew her lips back in, this time dropping them to the blonde's neck. Soft, reddened lips traced the column of her younger lover's neck, tasting each delicious inch of the sweet, tender flesh.

"Y-yes," Emma bit her lip, the sensation buzzing from her neck and down her spine, managing to pool itself somewhere forbidden. A soft gasp left her lips when the brunette had found one of her sweet spots and took advantage, tonguing and nibbling the soft spot to earn more of those precious notes. "Will we… spice it up in here?"

The English teacher hadn't seemed bothered to answer right away as she had continued to provide her attention to the sensitive spot that was harbored in the crook of her neck. Her hands explored otherwise, one still tangled greedily up in the tangled sea of golden locks while the other remained hesitant, resting on Emma's hip with twitching fingers.

"Mm, no," she finally murmured against the dark pink patch of skin, giving it a tender lick before pulling away with a smirk. "How terribly uncouth to fuck in the car."

"People do it." Emma shrugged, her head pounding as she felt blood rush quickly to it, filling in her cheeks a rosy tint.

"Yes, Emma, but we are not regular people."

"I never said regular people do it."

"I simply don't feel comfortable with it." The brunette unfurled her hand from Emma's hair as she detached herself, sitting back properly in her seat. "Not outside. It's…"

"It's not private?" Emma concluded her teacher's unfinished sentence, head tilting slightly as she gazed at the flushed brunette before her.

"Exactly. You never know what kind of… pervert might be lurking around." So she had coughed and coyly fixed the dress that Emma had ruffled up, then reached for the door. "Mm, why don't we get inside before we waste any more time?"

"I am definitely behind you." The blonde battled the door to open and stumbled out, finding Regina to be halfway to the door by the time she had ever managed to close the door. "How the hell?"

"When you have very little time, it makes you do… wondrous things." Regina smirked behind at Emma who still attempted to catch up, succeeding in doing so when the brunette was stumped with the door key.

"How about the door?" The blonde mumbled, half to herself as she watched the front door get pushed into the foyer.

But the teacher had heard those muttered words and voiced her knowledge of them upon turning around to confront the very blonde teenager that they came from. "What did you say, dear?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Emma was quick to deny the words that she had early spoken, rushing herself inside to shut the door. There was no telling what Regina would say about _that_. It was another one of those ideas that had been shot down more than once.

That was right. Emma had suggested that before. They had become rather hot and heavy while in the foyer, or even just outside after getting home from either school or a small trip somewhere else. It would have been one of those times that the blonde's more eager side had taken over and was about willing to get relief in the spot where she stood. But it was Regina's more logical brain that had guided them to at least a more comfortable area.

But now that Regina stared at Emma with those darkened chocolate eyes, real contemplation bubbling within them as if she were seriously considering that option. And for that moment, Emma had hope.

Hope?

Hope that they would defile that poor front door?

"You said something about the door again, didn't you?" She queried, though she already knew what the blonde had said. It was later confirmed when Emma nodded, a light smirk on her lips.

"You'll probably-"

"Then let's do it, Emma."

"I knew it. You-" But then she blinked, because, did she _really_ just say that? Was she truly being serious? "Wait, what?"

"Let's do it." Regina smirked, backing the blonde up against the white painted door. Each move was like an enchanting aphrodisiac, burrowing the blonde in deeper and deeper until she was drunk of lust. "I don't have much time, dear. Why not? Let's… spice things up."

"Mmm, remember, _you_ said it." Emma purred, sliding her arms around the older woman's neck.

And like that, their lips were on each other's like clockwork. Regina's hands were gathering her young lover's face into them, one's fingers sliding heatedly through her hair as the other gently slide across the smooth surface of Emma's warm cheek. The blonde's body was buzzing, overwhelmed, and tingling with excitement. She didn't know what the hell to do or what to grab in that moment, so she did the first thing she thought about doing. Her hands fell to the brunette's behind, squeezing her lower half tighter against her front which had earned an unexpected moan.

"Gina…" Emma pulled from the kiss, her hot breath puffing against red, swollen lips. "I have an idea."

"Don't speak, dear. Just do." The brunette groaned, readying herself for another kiss but was immediately denied when Emma had taken control and twirled them around, slamming her against the door instead. This had earned a breathless gasp, but was not further questioned and instead was greeted by another frantic kiss.

That was all that was needed to trigger the next step in Emma's destined plan. She returned the intimate gesture, fervently seeking out her lover's lips as pale digits slid over heated tawny flesh. A smirk found its way on her face at the reaction it had earned; goose flesh pebbled underneath her fingertips the further she had explored. Her lips remained attached to Regina's, their tongues dueling for a dominance that never seemed to be found. Fingers tugged futilely at clothes that wouldn't budge while their bodies never got the relief they needed through the cloth covering them.

Emma's fingers hand fell away from the brunette's shoulder's to slide steadily under the hem of the indigo dress that the latter wore. Regina shivered slightly at the contact, those cool, slender fingers creeping skillfully up her warm thighs in search of a certain treasure. But that treasure was far from the brunette's desires as Emma curled her digits around the waistband of the panties that were hidden.

"What…" Regina breathed the word, but was immediate shushed by the younger woman as she proceeded to complete the task at hand. And as she had, Emma's lips left the brunette's, only to slide down her tender neck and over the exposed expanse of her breastbone. A pleading cry left her lips, her own fingers curling into the blonde mane as it lowered; moving over her breasts and down her abdomen until it reached the hands that finally tugged that panties down long, tanned legs.

Regina helplessly watched as the black scrap of fabric was tossed behind Emma, the latter uncaringly hiking the skirt of her dress up to reveal what she had desired. The brunette's head fell back against the door, fingers tightening in the locks that she held with anticipation. Her hips bucked slightly, almost as if they were impatient on getting the attention that they had deserved.

A spicy grin grew across Emma's face at the reaction. She knew they were on limited time and that seemed rather unfortunate. There was always some sort of fantasy about taking Regina against the front door that continuously resonated in her mind, and she had rarely imagined it to turn out like this. Though, that wasn't saying this was imperfect. It was going rather well, but a speedy process it was.

Unfortunate, she thought, lifting one of the brunette's legs over her shoulder so she could position herself correctly. They wouldn't exactly have too many days left in this house which would leave it unlikely they would ever do something like this again. Emma shrugged mentally to herself. It was a special, intimate moment between them nonetheless. Why did something such as this seem to make her feel even closer to the brunette? She always wondered that very thing.

Of course, that was the thing about sex; mating, if she would get more technical. Well, rash. It was usually used as something to bond two people together. It was a special thing saved for a special someone, or that was what she had been told in school. Otherwise, it was all around her. In the movies, on television, it wasn't used as something special. It was used to help out one another. Like a "you scratch my back, I scratch yours" sort of thing.

 _Wait, what the hell am I even thinking about?_ Emma furrowed her brows.

Intimacy. That was about the only thing she could think about at the moment as she dove forward, taking a taste of the forbidden fruit displayed before her.

" _Oh_ ," Regina moaned at the newest contact and bucked her hips automatically against the blonde, fingers tugging almost painfully at her hair.

Emma smirked, working her tongue over the sensitive folds, poking and prodding here and there, earning a few moans and yelps of pleasure. But she knew that wasn't enough. That was never enough. Intent to give her lover the release that she deserved, the blonde proceeded with her wicked exploration, that tongue delving into deeper areas that left Regina shuddering a breath above her.

"R-Right there! More, _please!_ "

The plea left echoing in the foyer was enough for Emma to continue. She disappeared between those taut thighs, one of her hands getting caught with Regina's own in a desperate need to find ground as the other sought out the delicious mounds on her lover's chest. Hips rocked desperately against her tongue, drumming a steady beat on the front door as she was bombarded by pleasurable pain; her hair ready to become a wig at any given moment.

"I feel like I'm going to vomit…" Regina moaned in between her desperate cries, her pace never seemed to slow as she continued to ride the younger woman's face with great bravado.

But it was Emma that had paused out of concern, looking up at her lover with a glistening face. "Do you want me to stop?"

"N-No… Don't stop. It feels too good." The brunette pleaded, forcing the blonde's head back down as she continued back up at the pace they had kept before.

"If yer shoor" Emma's voice was muffled before continuing back to where she left off, this time trying to press closer to enter her a little deeper.

"I-I am, _Emma_. Just too much food." There was a momentary pant as Regina got back into their previous dance, the leg wrapped around Emma gripped even tighter when the blonde had tried to move away to inquire her concerns once again. "J-Just continue, baby. I-I'm almost there." There was a squeeze to her hand as if it were meant to be reassuring.

With a grunt, the blonde merely continued off her lover's words. And just as promised by Regina, the older woman was growing more desperate with her movements as she rode high up the mountain of ecstasy until she had _exploded_ with pleasure. Her cry resonated through the foyer and no doubt the entire house as she climaxed, her rocking hips jerky against Emma's working tongue, trying to keep that beautiful high to continue.

"Oh, Emma…" The brunette choked as she tried so desperately to cling onto the blonde, even if it were just her hair and a hand. It was enough as she cruised the high cloud until it disappeared and she tumbled back down to solid ground. And as she had, her ass had also found the ground with Emma awkwardly pulling her head away with a mousey grin.

"I apologize, darling." Regina shot her a sheepish grin, hand extending towards the blonde's cheek. "I almost squished you."

"It's okay." What mind did Emma have when she brought the woman she loved to a glorious climax? She was right. You can do wondrous things with little time.

The teacher chuckled breathlessly, making grabby hands for the blonde to enter her arms in which the latter had gladly accepted and curled into them comfortably. "I will never say no to front door sex again."

"That sounds… hilarious, actually." The blonde couldn't help but to cough, letting her active dirty mind shine through. Regina wasn't particularly amused but her statement, but let it slide as she held the younger woman close in her lap, stroking her soft, golden strands.

"You know what I mean."

"And you kept denying." Emma hummed softly, snuggling closer to her because yes, she did quite enjoy the hair petting. It was always one of her most favorite things that Regina did. Anytime they cuddled, she did it. In the morning. Late at night. Cuddling on the couch, or bed. Or after an intimate moment. Sighing softly, she let her eyes close. And it was especially nice after nearly getting her hair ripped out.

"You're like a sweet little kitty. Kitty Emma." Regina cooed softly, rejoicing in the fact that the blonde really did resemble that of a cat as she was curled up in her lap now, her legs curled up on her legs as she lay against her.

"Am I your little kitty now?"

"Yes." The brunette firmly nodded and gave her nose a quick kiss. "All mine."

"Mm, you should give your kitty a good rubbing. She really needs it." Emma purred, forest eyes opening to peek up at the brunette who offered a sweet smile.

"Of course. Don't think I haven't forgotten about you." And that sweet little smile was countered by the growl that left it, defiling the smile into something salacious.

"I hope there will be enough time?" Her head tilted slightly, noticing the purse that had been dropping in the middle of the foyer. "What time do you have to return?"

"I should be fine…" Regina thought to herself, standing up with Emma in her arms. "Whatever time it is."

Emma puffed out a breath of air, arm still wrapped around her lover in an attempt to steady herself. Once she had, she held up a finger and pulled out her cellphone to check what time it was. "It's a quarter past eleven."

That must have been the wrong answer. Regina's eyes went as wide as saucers, then went immediately to the numbers that were displayed on the blonde's phone.

" _Dammit_! I need to be back in fifteen minutes." The brunette grumbled a small profanity, gently urging Emma away from her so she could collect the panties that had managed their way into the middle of the foyer. "I… I can try to-"

"No, no!" Emma blinked when those sad, brown orbs were turned on her. "You need to go. I don't want to make you late. It's okay. Really."

"Emma, are you-"

"Yeah! I mean, I got to do what I wanted."

Those words had Regina's cheeks flaring. "I _will_ make this up to you later. I _promise_."

"Okay, Gina." The blonde giggled, shaking her head at the frenzied brunette. She quickly wrapped the older woman up in a hug, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Sure, she wasn't exactly happy that she had to be left hanging, horny and all. But she didn't want to force her girlfriend, her _teacher_ , to be late for class. She'd find a way to ease herself over until the brunette returned.

Regina breathed into the kiss, relaxing slightly as she returned it before pulling away. "I will see you later, alright?"

"Alright." Emma nodded, taking a step away from the front door. Her head spun. Everything seemed to occur all at once all too fast. One minute, they were making love against the front door and the next, Regina was leaving out that very door.

The brunette nodded slightly, though quickly diverted her path from the door to check herself out in the mirror just a few feet away. She fluffed her hair out, attempting to fix whatever mess they had managed to make (if any), and wiped away the leftover lipstick from around her mouth.

"You're already beautiful." Emma grinned, quickly picking up the older woman's purse before she passed by to the door. "But I guess that lipstick was a little sloppy."

"You ate most of it." Regina gave her a wry smirk, accepting the bag onto her shoulder while she pulled open the front door. "Thank you."

"Anytime…" Emma grinned widely, leaving the answer open. The brunette must have accepted for she offered a shake of the head, the wry smirk only growing.

"Don't have too much fun without me."

"Don't worry." The blonde shrugged, hanging onto the front door while Regina remained on the porch for a moment longer than needed. "I'll be asleep. Probably still when you get back."

"Oh, dear. You're a little bed bug sometimes." Regina chuckled, waving a hand at the blonde as she finally headed off to the Benz. Emma watched while the brunette got in and started the car, then even still as she drove off.

And then the blonde was home alone. She was free and home alone. She could do anything she wanted.

Which was sleep.

Sure, she was still a little hot and bothered, but that was something she could pass off now. With a soft pout for not being able to get her share, the blonde hopped up the stairs and straight off towards the room that she shared with Regina.

The large, fabulous room that she had become all to accustom to. Smiling idly, the blonde stripped out of her jeans and headed towards the bathroom for a quick clean-up of her sticky face. After successfully doing just that, she trudged from the en suite bath to the dresser where Regina's non-Mr. Pervert sit, taking the place of his former competition which had been successfully debugged and packed away.

After Zelena's untimely visit, the two of them hadn't hesitated to search Regina's old childhood toy for the bug that her sister had said she implanted. The brunette was first hesitant on this, not exactly wanting to rip apart a fond memory of her past in case there was nothing to be found. But she quickly got over it when they did, in fact, find the little micro-chip looking thing inside.

Utterly pissed, Regina broke the piece of technology to bits before tearfully searching the poor little rag for anymore implantations. When all was clear, she stitched it back up and stuffed it in a box just in case there was something that she had missed, and stored it in one of the extra rooms that she had never used.

"Like some weird-ass drama shit you see on TV." Emma mumbled to the new panda bear upon returning to the memory. Her life seemed a little too interesting now that all of this was going on. She only signed up for Regina, not the whole crazy duo trailing after her with bugs and abusive shit.

Emma merely had a crush on her teacher. That was all. She pursued it. And then this happened.

"What happened?" The blonde stared in bewilderment at the plush animal. "How the hell would you know, anyways? What the hell am I doing? I'm talking to a stuffed bear."

She was definitely losing it. She was alone and she was losing it.

"Going to bed. That will make me stop talking to myself. Yes." The blonde continued to mutter to herself, crawling into the empty bed. It felt cold without the warmth of her lover beside her. But that's what this little panda was for. It was to replace her. Though it really wouldn't work.

"You'll suffice, though. You smell like her." She hummed softly, pulling the covers over her body before curling up underneath them with the panda bear in arms. "Goodnight, little Gina bear. Big Gina human will be back soon. I hope."


	27. As We Go On

Emma wore a soft rose on her pale cheeks as she stood there, being observed like a bride in her wedding gown by her two exuberant foster parents who each wore the proudest smiles that they could bear.

Meanwhile, the blonde felt as if she could sink under a rock and never return. She was never one for attention, unlike most girls her age, but she knew her desire to remain hidden would only be ignored as she walked down that aisle.

And she would have to do it proudly as to not disappoint everyone there to see her graduate… And every other person that would be there, which would be a frightening amount of people.

But Emma tried to swallow the bile rising in her throat and think of something to pep talk herself into a more relaxed mood. She needed to ease the worries raging to break through the stone barrier she built earlier that day.

Even as David and Mary Margaret hauled Emma from the apartment and into her foster father's truck, she lost herself in her mind.

She was Emma Swan. She's a foster child, tossed from house to house, family to family. She had been broken into a thousand pieces by hard words given to her throughout her young life.

The other children, bullies in spite of their own insecurities, tearing her down to the support beams, removing every last bolt and crew until she collapsed.

Their words still stung her heart, piercing an emotion deep, yet so easily concealed within the eighteen-year-old.

They told her that no one wanted her.

They told her that no one would ever love her.

They insulted her, called her cruel names that shouldn't have hurt but they did anyways.

They broke her in a way a glass vase would when it made impact with a hardwood floor.

She told herself that what they had said was true. She didn't believe it at first. She never believed it.

Until she made herself believe it.

Then she was taken in by the Nolans with loving smiles and welcoming arms.

And that was when all of the tormenting demons that had once haunted her mind vanished because David and Mary Margaret _did_ want her.

They wanted her as their own child and treated her as such.

They loved her unconditionally, as any parent should and as any child should deserve.

They called her sweet pet names and made her feel as if she belonged instead of misplaced.

They helped pick up the broken pieces and put them back together.

And Regina… She came into Emma's life as an added bonus that made her feel wanted, loved, beautiful, and whole.

And her wonderful, yet sometimes irksome, friends are more than anything that she could have ever hoped for. They had accepted her for who she was and treated her with such kindness that the blonde hardly believed they were legitimate in their endeavors.

With those three factors: The Nolans, Regina, and her friends, Emma was on a cloud. She would give more than anything to shove that in the faces of the ones that had put her down.

Emma Swan was no longer a broken girl, she was a while woman.

And she was _graduating_ unlike those few foster parents that thought of her as nothing more than a bratty child that had said she would never make it out of school without failing. They did nothing but discourage her throughout her short time with them, treating her just as the other children had. They gave unfiltered promises that she was a no good kid, worth nothing more than the soil that they walk on- sometimes if even that.

And as a child, a young girl with a still-developing mind, was influenced by their words. After all, they were the authoritative figure- the adults that were supposed to know better. In Emma's young mind she knew that it was wrong for them to say such things to her, to antagonize her inner feelings like the horrible bullies her own age had. She saw other children's parents, their real parents, be kind and gentle with them. Not like the rough way that she was treated like she was nothing more than an uncared for toy.

But now she was no longer with the abusive ones in her life, instead, she was surrounded by the loving ones. They were _proud_ of her for making it this far and had encouraged her of it. Hell, they had even encouraged her to shoot beyond her high school graduation goals and apply for college, more than certain enough that she would get accepted.

And she did, no less than the expectations that they anticipated.

 _That_ was why she smiled up on that stage in the traditional graduation garb with her hand readily approaching the diploma getting passed to her by the proud Mr. Hopper.

Emma was taking that little document in spite of the demons in her past that tried so terribly hard to rip holes into the fabric of reality that was laid out before her.

They attempted to rob her blond of her elation, but she beat them down because, along with taking this document for them, she was taking it for the current angels that had touched her existence. They lit her life up with an ethereal ball that banished those demons to the past and gave her the light that had guided her down the current path in which she led.

And damned she be if this path weren't glorious.

The blonde _beamed_ for that camera, the crazy upturn of her lips unable to be stopped. Even Mr. gold had a foreign grin on his alligator face when she approached him, hand extended in congratulation. She took it blindly, shaking the tight grasp with a snap of the picture and moved down the line.

Emma didn't care that the world's eyes were upon her as she walked down the aisle. She was happy. She accomplished something. A _big_ something and there was not a thing that could take it away from her.

"Congratulations, dear." Emma heard a voice sound from beside her, forcing her to nearly stumble over her own feet as she attempted to catch where it had come from.

 _Regina_.

She caught a glimpse of the older woman's smile before being forced to continue down the designated back, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end and her entire body flowing with warmth.

If there ever was a way to calm her frazzled nerves, it would be the smile on that brunette woman's face. It always seemed to be the quickest remedy in any situation. Emma would be able to face the world given Regina would be next to her.

Bring on the apocalypse.

Give her a gun and her girlfriend and she was ready.

Emma saw that same smile when the ceremony was over, her cap lost amongst the hundreds strewn about on the ground.

Regina stood with the group of teachers, standing and clapping for the seniors that they had spent four years (or less in her case) teaching. Proud and tall they were with moisture in their eyes and grins as bright as the sun.

The blonde still grinned even though her head pounded from a mixture of the sudden arousal in the crowd's volume, turning into a deafening roar and the tight cap that she was forced to wear for five hours. The freshly graduated students cheered for their victory of conquering high school, almost loud enough to cancel out the announcement for them to exit the building as a class.

And they did, all in a clustered group as they fought through the exit. Emma pursed her lips at the rowdy teenagers in front of her, trying to squeeze through the exit with no luck.

"There you are!" belle exclaimed with a smile that had once matched her blonde friend's, bright and excited. "I couldn't find you for the longest time."

Emma's grin returned as she slung an arm around the small brunette just in case they would get separated. "I know. Too many people in there. It doesn't help that they act like freaking animals!" She shot an accusing glare at a particularly loud group of boys cheering for the class of graduates, which had others around them join in.

"Tell me about it." Belle mumbled. Emma would have missed what she had said if she were not so close. That was the thing about crowds such as this and that was the reason why she quite despised going to school events.

Luckily, her last on would be tonight unless she were to go to anything that happened at college. Which would be unlikely, of course, unless Graham were to drag her to something.

The blonde scowled to herself at the though. Honestly, she would be happy locked away in an apartment with Regina and internet, but she supposed that she couldn't live her life as a hermit.

With a sigh on that note, Emma finally made her way outside and into the dim light of the evening, the crowd seemed to have doubled, nearly tripled. She groaned.

Why did they have to run into _this_?

Friends and family of all the students were here and eager to greet. What the hell? Now it was going to be doubly hard to search for her foster parents and Ruby.

"Oh my goodness. What is this?" Belle's eyes widened, the light irises standing out perfectly in the evening glow. "There are so many people… I'll never find my dad or Ruby…"

"I'm sure we will." Emma attempted to reassure, though her hope was waning quickly the more they delved into the sea of bodies with not one face looking familiar. "Oh, we're totally screwed."

"At least we have each other?" The brunette muttered monotonously, sticking as close as she could to the blonde as to not get lost. Emma was doing something similar, wide forest eyes on the groups of people _still_ pouring out of the arena. This was a time in the young woman's life that she wished she _did_ have her cellphone and that it wasn't quite literally forbidden during the ceremony (though she knew that policy wasn't strictly enforced after seeing several other of the graduates with their phones out during rehearsal) and regretted not taking it with her just in case. Now there was no way in hell she would be able to message her parents to see where they were at.

And now she was lost forever.

"There's Ruby!" Belle squealed from beside her blonde friend and squeezed her arm so tight, Emma swore it would have been severed.

"Girl, keep it down. You're driving the dogs crazy."

But her quip remained unheard as Ruby had seemed to magically find her way to the two of them, a wolfish grin on her face.

"Now you're one of me!" The lanky brunette squealed just as her girlfriend had moments before, engulfing the two of them in her arms. "We are officially _adults_ and no one can tell us what the hell to do! Well… there _is_ your future boss and, I guess, professors from the college… and your parents or Granny on occasion… But you're an adult and no more kid stuff!"

"I think we get it, Rubes." Emma chuckled jovially, shaking her head when the waitress released her. "But we still can't legally drink until we're twenty-one, so I'm not sure if we're _complete_ adults."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the blonde and shoved her shoulder. "Girl, there really _is_ a special place in hell for you. Right next to the devil himself."

"Now, RuRu, be nice to Ems." Belle chastised, her nose wrinkling angrily, though it looked more as if she had an itch on it instead. "She's a woman now."

"Oh, I bet she is." Ruby smirked, forcing emerald eyes to widen incredulously.

And then the blonde snorted as what Belle had said came to her. "You bet I am, _RuRu._ "

"Shut up!" That had the taller brunette quiet, her cheeks turning the same color as her name had stated, a deep, ruby red. She quickly turned to the smaller brunette, giving her a look that of an irritated lover. "I told you not to call me that."

"But you know you like it, Ruby." Belle gave her an innocent smile, her sweet accent adding onto the adorableness in her aura.

Emma merely giggled because, yeah, they had to love each other _that_ much. Those two reminded her of Regina and herself when they bantered playfully over the smallest of things.

"Not when you say it in front of people."

"What's so bad about it?"

"Just… no."

"Come on, Ruby!"

" _Belle_ , please."

Emma watched between the two as they continued to bicker back and forth, the blonde long separated from her brunette friend. They were definitely meant for each other. Hopefully they would stay together for a while.

"You two are cute as hell." The freshly graduated blonde student smirked, forcing the two of them to cease their banter. "I don't know how anyone can think that you _aren't_ dating."

"Shut up." They muttered in union, both turning crimson with mortification.

"You are. Just saying. Keep like that." Emma smiled, her heart shriveling in her chest as she stared at her two best friends, both shooting her embarrassed grins. She was going to miss Ruby and Belle when she left to Boston. Now that they had graduated, they would no longer have all the free time to spend together after school or on the weekends. They wouldn't joke around in class anymore and get in trouble by the annoyed teachers, nor would they be able to stop by Granny's to grab lunch.

Granny's.

They wouldn't be able to sit and annoy Ruby while she worked and stuffed their faces with the delicious food cooked by their older friend's grandmother as they gossiped about everything that happened that day.

Emma would miss that the most. She always loved spending time with her friends- something she never really had when she was growing up. But now that would be something left behind as she left to the bigger city. Of course, she was able to return to Storybrooke to visit her friends from time to time and the addition of the Bug Mary Margaret and David were going to give her would help with that.

Though she was sure Regina wouldn't mind taking her back up every so often. Emma would want her with no matter what.

A lot of changes were going to be made from now on and it seemed terribly frightening.

Emma was an adult now. She was eighteen, the age she longed for, and graduated from high school. Her life has started. She was moving away from what she knew- or what she had come to know so well.

The blonde had never suspected she would feel this way when she reached her dream age. She never thought that she would _miss_ the place she would be leaving. Of course, that was when she was far younger and in the terrible situations of her foster homes with anguished dreams and impatient hope. But now she couldn't bear the thought of leaving this sleepy little town behind, even though she had to.

It was as much of a surprise to her than anything that had happened so far.

She committed to more things than just one.

It both made her heart swell and shrivel.

Joy and pain all wrapped up into one.

The blonde frowned to herself as those thoughts ate her up. This night was supposed to be fun and special, happy and celebratory, not a pity party for herself because she was _grown up_.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Belle asked, breaking Emma from her mind as she popped her eyes up to meet with her friend.

"Yeah, just thinking." She shrugged nonchalantly, but it was more chalant than not for her friends.

"What about?" Ruby quickly asked, brow quirked.

"Leaving Storybrooke." Emma answered, which surprised all three of them because she usually danced around the question to avoid it. She never came up with a straight answer, but she did now and she knew that would only draw more questions from her friends.

Luckily, before either one of them was able to open their mouth to ask said questions, Mary Margaret and David popped out of the thinning crowd with big smiles, a big bouquet of flowers, and a camera. "There they are!"

"Hey!" Emma grinned, happy that they finally found each other, even though the blonde hadn't done much searching after running into Ruby. She was immediately greeted (and smothered) by the two as they hugged her tightly, still murmuring congratulations before moving onto Belle.

"Were you excited?" Mary Margaret asked, hands clasped together. "Were you nervous? How was it? You're officially graduated from high school!"

"Yes, mom!" The blonde chuckled, hands in the air as if to calm the pixie-haired woman down. "My head hurts from that stupid cap and the loud noise, but overall, it was pretty exciting. It only happens once in your life, you know?"

"Oh! My baby's all grown up!" Mary Margaret squealed once again, engulfing her in a tight hug before pulling back to elbow her husband. David jumped slightly, his brows furrowing until he realized just why she had done that. He quickly handed Emma the bouquet of flowers, the smile clear in his eyes.

"We got you something!"

"Oh, flowers!" Emma cheered with forced joy as she grabbed them, smelling the natural sweet scent with a chuckle. "What I've always wanted after five hours of being in a room with chattering, smelly people."

"Well, it _does_ freshen things up." Ruby muttered, earning a glare from the blonde.

Mary Margaret gave her foster daughter a look which shut the two of them right up. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't like the _real_ gift, now, would you?"

David was coughing and gesturing towards the paper the bouquet was wrapped in, trying to act inconspicuous.

"What's wrong with you?" She blinked at her father, watching his little gestures that she couldn't quite place. Mary Margaret, on the other hand, was rolling her eyes at David's "hints."

"Do you know what likes flowers?" The older woman inquired, dark eyes on those flowers as if they would tell her the answer.

"Birds? Nature? I don't know." The blonde blinked slightly. "I'm done with school. No more learning."

"I think your mother means to imply that there's a reason we gave you those flowers." David cleared his throat, giving his wife a quick glare, which only earned a glower in return.

"Graduating?"

Then it hit her. There was definitely something in the flowers, or at least the paper of them.

Emma quirked a brow at the two of them before taking the not-so-subtle hints to look inside the wrapping, soon finding what appeared to be something metal. Then her heart skipped a beat. She excitedly pulled the little scrap out to find the metal in the shape of a key.

"Oh. My. God!" She squealed, throwing the bouquet into Belle's arms just in time as she threw her arms around her foster parents. Why the hell she was so excited to see those car keys after she knew that she was going to be getting the bug, she would never know why. But she was.

Perhaps because it was the biggest gift anyone had ever given her… Especially after they had promised it.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Emma's gratitude was muffled between the two of her foster parents, tears welling automatically in her eyes.

"Oh!" Mary Margaret kissed the top of her head. "You're so very welcome, Emma. You deserve it."

"Now, to teach you how to drive." David chuckled and it was then that the blonde realized she didn't know how to operate the Bug that was given to her.

Alright, _that_ was a lie, she _did_ know how to drive… well, barely, but she wasn't exactly equipped for it legally. Somehow, they managed to gloss over getting her license, or perhaps that was her own fault for never necessarily feeling comfortable enough to test for it.

"Wait. You got a car and you don't know how to drive?" Ruby laughed, and Emma should have known that was coming.

"Don't do it, Ruby." The blonde turned from her parents and _glared_ at her lanky friend, eyes narrowing into slits.

"But seriously, _why_?"

"Because we all can't be special like you, Ruby."

"Hey, now, Emma. No need to be rude!"

"Guys, will you stop arguing?" Belle frowned, crossing her arms. "I don't know how to drive, either."

"Yeah you do." The waitress turned her attention towards the shorter brunette, one of her perfectly trimmed brows quirked. "I've been teaching you, remember?"

"I know. I just mean that I don't have a license, either." She elaborated, nibbling on her lower lip.

"You girls are so funny." Mary Margaret suddenly stated, a joyous smile on her face as she watched the bickering trio.

"Yeah… _funny_." Emma pursed her lips, giving her taller friend a quick jab in the ribs to stop her bubbling chuckles. But it had only rubbed off on Belle, as well, and soon enough, the two of them ended up roaring with laughter.

"See? She likes us." Belle smiled.

"No. No she doesn't."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret reprimanded, wrinkling her nose. "Do not say that. I like them!"

"I know, I was just… joking." The blonde pouted softly, arms crossing over her chest.

"But you can't joke about how I feel about people, Emma."

"Mary Margaret, please." David sighed softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"But, David!" She whined to her husband and it was then that Emma knew she had been playing along with the blonde because she never did _that_ without a reason such as _this_.

That had the blonde giggling and her friends laughing harder because, no, they weren't their parents, and yes, it was funnier when they were acting like _this_ and they were someone else's parents.

Emma didn't particularly care, at least when they were around Ruby and Belle. Mary Margaret and David always tended to act childish around them to embarrass the blonde, but it never worked anymore. Now, with _other_ people…

Oh, she could never imagine having Regina there with those two. Maybe she shouldn't mind and the older woman was easy-going, but there was still something about the thought that made her cringe.

Though, speaking of Regina, Emma glanced passed her foster mother for a second time as she swore she had caught a glance of the raven haired beauty. And she had. The older woman was just exiting the building with her purse around her shoulder and creased brows as she attempted to squeeze through the crowds that had decided to linger.

The blonde couldn't take her eyes off the brunette who made her w1fhuay towards the sidewalk, though had quite a bit of trouble with getting through the gross of people. She smiled, swallowing the bubble of laughter welling in her throat when Regina donned an irritated visage from a particular group of teenagers who kept blocking her way. It wasn't something they were doing on purpose, of course, but they were looking rather bothersome in their careless acts as they stumbled about with jokes and laughter.

"What are you staring at?" Mary Margaret finally asked, the question this time directed towards her foster daughter. The group had been buzzing with idle chatter until the older woman caught her attention divided otherwise.

When the blonde shrugged instead of answering, her mother looked behind her to notice the group of teenagers and the brunette teacher who had finally made it passed them. "Oh! Look! It's your teacher, isn't it? Ms. Mills?"

"Yeah." Emma mumbled. Ruby and Belle both shot her a knowing look, little smug smirks on their faces because they knew that she still had a thing for the brunette (as far as they knew it was nothing but a crush).

"Maybe we should go talk to her before she leaves? I know that she thought of you as one of her favorite students." The pixie-haired woman grinned softly before quickly grabbing her daughter's wrist to drag her in the direction of the infamous Ms. Mills. "And I know that she was your favorite teacher."

" _Mom_ ," the blonde groaned softly, trailing after her ever-persistent foster mother along with the rest of the group in which half (Ruby and Belle) were snickering and the other half (David and Mary Margaret) wore eager expressions to meet the brunette English teacher.

Well, David would be meeting the older woman for the first time since Mary Margaret had made a habit of going to conferences whenever they popped up. Emma always had opted to stay home for those special days, not exactly wishing to join in on the embarrassing parade no doubt to burst with her foster mother.

"Hey, Regina!" Mary Margaret called out to the raven haired teacher to catch her attention before the older woman had attempted to cross the street. The teacher paused and turned at the sound of Emma's foster mother's voice, her brows rising in surprise.

"Oh, Mary Margaret. What a pleasure." She stood there awkwardly as the group approached her, a smile on her perfect, crimson lips. "Emma. Belle. Ruby." Regina nodded to each person as she acknowledged them, pausing on David for a moment with a slightly confused look before grinning. "You must be David."

"And you must be the infamous Ms. Mills." He held his hand out to her and she took it, Mary Margaret's eyes on the two like a hawk.

Emma could have laughed. She wondered what was going on in that woman's head. Mary Margaret tended to get jealous when it came to her husband and didn't particularly enjoy any woman make any sort of contact with him, let it be eye or physical. She was probably having a cow right now with Regina shaking his hand.

The teacher was attractive, even Mary Margaret had said so herself and she no doubt was envious in the way David looked at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He mumbled, pulling his hand away to wrap around Mary Margaret's waist as if to announce himself taken.

"Likewise, Mr. Nolan. I have heard so much about you from both your wife and Emma." Regina's molten eyes landed heatedly on Emma for a moment, the corners of her mouth tugging into a strange smile before she offered it to David and his wife. "What brings you two here? Or should I say five?"

"We just wanted to say hi before we left!" Mary Margaret cheerfully chittered, the jealous mode out of her system. "But we've really ought to get going if the girls want to make it to the dance in time! Are you headed there?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Regina smiled politely with a nod. "I am one of the chaperones. Somehow I keep getting myself caught in that position this year." Her eyes landed on Emma for but a moment because it was the blonde's fault. She begged the teacher to volunteer as chaperone to the dance, just as the last one. This time, Regina hadn't minded much. It was the last dance, after all.

"Great!" Mary Margaret hummed, clapping her hands together. "I suppose we must be off then?"

As they said their goodbyes, Emma only thought of how this night was going to go. She was going to return back to the apartment with her foster parents to get ready, more specifically, she was going to change into the dress that Regina had picked out for her weeks ago. She had already tried it on when it came in the mail to make sure that it had fit, and boy did it. The brunette teacher had never got the chance to see her in it for the blonde wanted it to be a surprise until the dance. She hoped that Regina would like it on her because that's who it was for.

Emma sighed softly as she climbed the stairs to her room, the time seemed to fly by all too quickly. This year was nothing but a breeze and she seemed to have missed it from day one. Regina had made her final school year even more special than it was initially supposed to be. The year was a big one upon meeting the brunette teacher from adding a new friend to her very small list to forming a relationship with the older woman and making life-altering plans with her.

Even though it had only been approximately nine months, Emma felt as if she had known this woman for her entire life. Perhaps that's exactly what love was meant to be. Feeling both emotionally and spiritually bonded with your significant other to be connected on such a deep level, it felt as if you were one and whole with each other. Some might say that level would be called soul mates, though Emma believed you could have one even if it weren't romantic. But the case in which she thought of now was far from platonic and more beautiful than a horizon on an ocean's surface.

There was something that Emma believed that drew her to Regina aside from the brunette teacher's looks. There was something else inside that woman that brought the blonde towards her like a moth to a flame. Perhaps they were destined to have met, to be together and form a relationship- though it may not had to have been as they made it. It was beautiful, regardless, and Emma would have never regretted taking that first step to water the blossoming seed.

She would even be willing to relive her life over again if it meant leading up to where she was today; happy, in love, complete with loving friends and family. Never, in her wildest dreams had she thought she would even make it this far in her life with the things that she had. Whatever Emma could think of, she would restart over. It was as simple as that.

Simplicity was best.

The blonde grinned to herself at the thought. She was actually _happy_ to be in her current situation, even if that meant having to dress up with makeup and a frilly dress with her stepmother breathing down her neck to help with preparations.

Emma stood in front of the mirror after the terrible struggle with her dress. The blonde had thought a not-so-flashy one would have worked well in the mundane white that Regina had suggested she pick.

It was a little tight in certain areas that she had noticed prior to when she had first tested it out. Unfortunately, then and now, the material was slightly see-though in those parts (which was more specifically around her chest area with the padded push-up brassiere that Regina had purchased for her a while back). Luckily she had got it just for this dress, but the outline and solid white was still easily noticeable.

"Damn that woman." Emma muttered because she was settled for a black dress almost similar until Regina had already decided on a color scheme for the two.

The blonde crinkled her nose as she looked over the outfit that flayed at the skirt with soft ruffles, ending at the top of her knees. It was pure white and nothing but as it asked to get dirty by the natural world.

There were reasons Emma didn't wear certain colors in abundance.

She looked like a marshmallow in this thing, and so did her feet with the matching ivory heels that she was barely able to balance in.

The only color that she did have was purple. Little purple accents such as the weird little flowers around her ankles, wrists, and pinned up in her hair.

She quirked a brow at herself in the mirror. The purple seemed to attract attention to itself from her ghostly appearance. The dress had a square neck which seemed to have defeated the purpose of the special bra, and a slightly ruffled arm sleeve which had only covered the very top of her arms.

Fortunately those little puffs would be covered by the final accent of a purple ruffled scarf.

Regina and the ruffle.

Something was terribly wrong with that woman for wanting to practically look like a walking fluff ball with all of those ridiculous layers of fabric.

But at least Emma wouldn't be the only one wearing ruffles to the dance because Regina had purchased something similar to Emma's own, except it was purple and seemed to be less playful around the skirt area. The ruffles, instead of flaying out, would hug the older woman's muscular legs in a more elegant, conservative fashion suitable for her age.

White and purple were the colors that the older woman had decided they should wear, for whatever odd reason. Emma didn't mind all too much so long as Regina was happy.

The blonde smiled softly and moved from the mirror, a finger playing with her golden curls. Any time now, she was going to be leaving for the final school event that she would ever have to attend. Her foster parents wanted to drop her off and Emma had decided it for the better, considering her date was a chaperone at the dance.

"Are you ready, Emma?" Mary Margaret's voice filtered through the loft.

"Yeah, just a moment!" She replied, quickly gather up her cellphone before heading down the stairs.

As she descended, she heard a soft coo come from the woman who had called her down just moments before. Mary Margaret donned the brightest of smiles in which had easily reached her eyes that were lit up with excitement. She squealed happily upon Emma's final arrival to the landing and immediately attacked the younger woman with the hug from hell. Her organs would surely be turned to paste and squeezed from any orifice if the embrace were to be even a decimal tighter.

"You look so beautiful!" The brunette released her foster daughter, allowing Emma for a chance to get oxygen back into her lungs.

"You said that the last time I got all dressed up." Emma crossed her arms self-consciously, quirking a brow at the woman before her. "Anyways, are we going to go?"

"Oh… yes. Of course, Emma." Mary Margaret offered a sad smile (though she tried her hardest to hide it) and grabbed the blonde's arm to usher her out of the apartment along with her husband who trailed along, chuckling.

"You can get pictures before we leave if you want, Mary Margaret." Emma paused before her foster mother could open the door, not at all ignorant to the forced look on her face.

That seemed to have brought the older woman's smile into a full curve, her dark eyes lighting up once again. "Stand by your father! I want one of you two together. Then David can take one of you and I. And then we need one of just you." There was a pause as the schoolteacher hesitated, a slightly pained look on her face before she continued with her unfinished thought as if it were a piece of glass in her candy. "It's too bad that you hadn't brought a date so we could get one of you two."

Emma nodded awkwardly, her hands wringing in front of her because she knew how weird it was for her foster mother to even attempt to think of what kind of date her daughter would have brought. None was going to be better to lie about than admit that she was actually going "to the dance" with Regina, of course, that was in a sense of speaking. They weren't technically going with each other, but the teacher was going to attempt to dance with the blonde if she could.

In other words, she was going to wait until one of her coworkers decided to dance with a student, or at least, amongst them. It was common, after all, and the two of them were looking forward to actually being able to dance with each other within the confines of the gym.

Emma beamed for the pictures that she took for her parents and beamed even more as she sat in the car on the way to the school for her final dance of the year, all prior thoughts still fresh in her mine. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies, whirring up a mighty storm within that small organ. She didn't know why on earth that she was so damned nervous to get in there. Perhaps it was excitement for the evening. After all, the dance would be lasting until midnight, and then the students would depart to a convention center until four to party casually with fun activities. The blonde had graciously declined going to that and opted to spend the rest of her night with Regina doing a more preferred activity with the older woman.

"Looks like we're here." David announced, turning towards the blonde with a smile, hand clasped on her shoulder. "Have a good time, honey, and call when you're ready to leave. We'll come pick you up."

Emma gave him an awkward look. She hadn't planned on getting a ride from him back to the apartment because she wasn't going back to the apartment tonight. Hell no.

"I'm gonna be staying with someone else tonight." She mumbled, hands placed on her lap in a ball. It was rather silly to act so timid about something so small. She was an adult now and surely capable of making her own grown-up decisions. She could do whatever the hell that she wanted now. But, for some reason, it just made her feel… guilty to abandon her loving foster parents tonight. "I won't be needing a ride, if that's alright."

"Oh… Are you sure?" He had his brows squished together, but made no further move to guilt her into staying over. Unlike his wife.

But, surprisingly, Mary Margaret hadn't said a thing. She simply sat there with a smile, a hand on the blonde's arm.

"Have fun, sweetheart. Stay safe and… be safe." She leaned in to give the blonde a kiss on her cheek. "I love you."

"I will, I promise." Emma moved in to give her mother a side hug, her heart sinking slightly. "I love you, too."

"Call me if anything happens, okay?" David was the next to speak, his voice rumbling in the otherwise quiet truck.

"I will."

"Alright. Be safe. I love you." His stern stare was gone, replaced with that of a loving father as he, too, kissed her head.

"Love you, David." She chimed in response, moving to open the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, Emma." Mary Margaret watched as the blonde hopped out of the truck, a saddened twinkle in her eyes. "Drop by as the first thing you do tomorrow." She quickly added, scooting to where Emma had been seated moments ago. She donned a cheesy grin as if she played, though her eyes had told just how serious she was.

Emma's leaving the apartment seemed to have taken a great toll on her foster mother which was the reason why she had stayed there as often as she could (or wanted to). Now that she was moving away to a while different city, Mary Margaret was even more desperate to squeeze in as much time that she could with her. At times, it was rather bothersome, seeing as to how she barely got a minute alone, but on the plus side, she didn't mind so much over the added attention.

So the blonde have her a sweet smile in response and nodded, hand on the passenger's door. "I will make it my first priority, okay?"

"Good. Now, go have fun while you can!"

"I will! See you tomorrow." She nodded towards them and shut the truck's door before making her way hastily towards the entrance of the school. Her stomach was already in knots once again as soon as those doors had opened and the large, boisterous crowd was revealed.

Loud, obnoxious music blared through the gym's speakers while the graduated class sloppily danced to the upbeat music with provocative moves. Others stood aside to merely watch while some remained disinterested, talking within their groups of friends, taking advantage of the free drinks and snacks.

Emma took a deep breath and searched the wild crowd, her eyes wide and overwhelmed as she tried to decipher out any familiar faces within the sea of them. Even the teachers seemed to be lost amongst the multitude of ex-students.

She groaned. She would have to enter the thick mob of people in order to locate her friends or Regina, which was already proving to be a rather difficult task. It was hot, sweaty, and loud, and frankly, she was already anticipant on leaving.

"Look at Mr. Booth!" A fair haired girl pointed out the teacher in subject. That, of course, had the blonde stopping in her tracks to get a look at her former teacher dancing with a group of students. The man didn't have bad dancing skills if you asked her, but it was no Regina.

Emma chuckled softly as she watched him. Teachers were already getting in on the fun. Perhaps Regina was even in the spirit to dance and currently was amongst another crown.

With an anxious smile for the unlikely scenario, the blonde continued forth to find said brunette teacher. Her eyes darted from face to face, dress to dress until they had finally landed on a ruffled purple one and eventually slid up to meet with the gorgeous complexion of her girlfriend who had worn a bright smile on her face upon seeing her.

"Emma!" She almost seemed to cheer, taking the few steps that had been left between them. "It's good to see that you finally made it."

"I'm fashionably late." Emma joked, tossing a curl behind her shoulder. It was true that the blonde was late to the dance, as were a few others. She wanted to spend as little time as she could at this loud, sweaty mess. There was a different loud and sweaty thing she'd prefer to be partaking in.

Of course, that wasn't _all_ that she had on her mind. She would just prefer to sit at home, even, and snuggle up with Regina and a thing of junk food while watching (or bashing) a movie. That was, by far, one of her most favorite things to do.

"Of course you are, dear." The older woman's mouth twitched with amusement. "Meanwhile, the party seemed to have escalated without you."

"Oh, what a shame that I had missed it." The blonde lucked her tongue, shrugging unenthusiastically. "I guess this means we should catch up with the in-crowd and dance?"

"Since when are you so eager to dance in front of other people?" The question stopped the blonde's unsubtle suggestion and threw it to the ground. Regina's brow was quirked in her usual manor, arms crossing in mock annoyance.

"Since I can do it with you?" She gave a cheesy grin.

"Mhm. Well, I am unsure if we should dance right away. It's currently a slower song and I hardly believe that would be appropriate for us." She pointed out, mocha hues focused on the slower moving population on the dance floor.

It was then that Emma had noticed the change in pace and grew red. Well, she hadn't meant for them to dance to _this_. At least not here, anyways.

"Yeah, of course." She mumbled, changing positions to stand next to her partner instead with a deflated look, allowing for her to survey the area.

The two stood there for a quiet few minutes, observing the party happened around them. The beat of the music thrumming into their hearts with each hum. The sounds of the teenagers drilling into their heads. It seemed fun enough, enjoyable even, as the couples and even singles danced their way across the floor to a sober beat.

Emma breathed in the air around her, drawing her attention from the people and to the rich, spicy perfume of the woman next to her. She grinned, turning to gaze at the tan beauty who tapped her foot to eh current melody and wore a stunning white smile on her crimson lips.

"How was your day, Regina?" The blonde inquired, head cocking to the side. She hardly had time to speak with her today over the fuss of graduation and getting ready for the dance afterwards. The few minutes in the parking lot of the arena were hardly anything to go by.

"Rather mundane, dear. It's still strange to wake up in a cold bed." She turned her chocolate gaze tot eh younger woman, a mirthful look on her features.

"Yeah." Emma chuckled, realizing the statement to be true. The two of them had become so spoiled with each other's warm bodies in bed and took great advantage of it, that it had been rather difficult to adjust to sleeping alone in bed. It seemed much cooler and far lonelier.

"And trying to roll over to find you at the edge of the bed, only to fall off my own."

This earned a chuckle from the older woman, her head shaking. "I do hope you won't have to suffer that long."

"I probably will. I'm clumsy and fall off the bed a lot." She shrugged, earning yet again, another stifled chuckle.

"Remind me to put restraints on the bed to prevent that from happening."

" _Ooh_ , that sounds _kinky_." Emma couldn't help the comment that had heated her lover's cheeks. It made her heart swell in her chest the shades of emotion that Regina emitted. She was gorgeous and adorable with each one. Except when she was angry, then that was just plain scary. Especially that vein in her forehead that popped out and looked as if it would burst with her temper at any time.

"Emma, now mind your mouth. We are in public." Though the embarrassment never faded from her visage as she remained pink.

"Sorry." The blonde giggled, tugging at the brunette teacher's arm soon after in her own way of the changing the subject.

During their conversation, a new song had aroused on the stereo, something far more upbeat and appropriate for the two to dance.

"Where on earth are you dragging me to?" Regina blinked slightly as the two had soon found themselves in the middle of the dance floor. "Oh, you sly fox, you."

Emma merely smirked at her comment, body already swaying with the beat as her eyes seemed to lock in on Regina and only her. It was going to be the only way that she would sanely be able to dance in front of the hundreds of eyes watching, or felt as if they were.

"Look! Now Ms. Mills is gonna dance!" That same voice that had called for Mr. Booth earlier had spoken once again, her hand waving towards the teacher whose eyes seemed to have grown to the size of saucers.

"Fuck yeah!" A masculine voice exclaimed from somewhere else within the group and soon enough another uproar of chatter stirred.

Meanwhile, Emma still had her eyes focused in on the stunned teacher who seemed glued to her spot. She stood as if she were a statue, eyes still wide.

"I refuse to do this." She mumbled to the blonde, her olive hands wringing against her ruffled skirt. "They're staring."

"Try not to think about it." Emma attempted to reassure the frazzled woman and stood to face her. They eyes locked on each other's as she continued to speak, the hard chocolate melted into reassurance. "You don't even have to dance. Hell, I don't want to."

"No, but I did promise you and I cannot go back on it." Regina looked as if she were pep talking herself, standing there in her ruffled purple dress that only got abused by her anxious hands. "Why should I care what they think, anyways?"

"They aren't even watching." Emma flapped a hand in the air, eyes doing a quick once-over at the suddenly disinterested crow. They must have given up on the miracle of their former English teacher dancing to the upbeat pop.

"Then what the hell?" Regina chuckled, muscles relaxing when Emma's words (and her own once-over) had soaked in.

That's when the brunette started moving to the newest song that had begun, one that sounded all too familiar.

Emma laughed as she started to join in, the joy of this dance and the familiar tune boosting her ego to do so.

It was that same song that she had played for the two of them during Winter Break for their makeshift dance. Each note had brought back the memories of that day and Regina's _amazing_ dancing skills. And by skills, Emma had been referring to the sexiness of the moves she used.

And boy was it.

Regina had let herself be free with her inner dancer and began to sway her hips in a way that no doubt had the blonde eager for more. Emma would have damn near stopped her own dancing if she could, just to stare in awe. But they were in public and the brunette's dancing had inspired her own crazy moves, despite the urge to continue watching the saucy way she shimmied her body.

The two of them lost themselves in the best, eyes on each other the entire song through. Hips swaying, feet moving, arms seemed to tangle with one another from time to time until the song slowed to its finale, leaving the two breaking for a breath.

"That was fun." Regina breathed, allowing for herself to take a few deep breaths. "Didn't know I had that in me."

"Neither did I…" Emma stared wide-eyed at Regina because at some point, she was quite sure that she was watching some sort of soft-core porn. "I mean…"

"Holy shit!" A voice shouted from the crowd, damn well finishing the rest of Emma's thoughts.

But the blonde didn't care for that damned mind-reader, instead she glared towards the masculine voice, unsure of where and who it came from. She would beat the hell out of that dude with his own happy parts if he tried anything.

"Way to shake it, Ms. Mills!"

"I wish I had her as my teacher."

"You should fuck me."

Emma continued to glare at the people, though it was Regina's laughing that prevented her from taking any further action. The brunette teacher must have found it amusing that her former students- and some that were not- commenting about her… interesting dance moves.

The younger woman grinned softly, watching as Regina's cheeks grew aflame once again, despite her obvious amusement.

"You're famous now, Ms. Mills." Emma couldn't help but to chuckle, moving closer to the teacher. "How do you feel?"

"Strange." The answer was simple, yet humorous as the blonde merely laughed again.

"You're hot, you know?" her query was a mere whisper, quiet enough that she didn't know if Regina had even heard her over the other voices and blaring music.

But the blush that had suddenly flourished down the brunette's neck and brightened her cheeks was the indicator that she had.

A smirk weaseled its way onto Regina's lips soon after because, gods, did she have such control over Emma.

"I am quite certain that most of the students seem to think the same." She hummed, lips twitching at the green look her young lover had shot her.

Emma didn't think too kindly of others seeing Regina in the way that she had. It was a jealous rage of green that soaked her aura so quickly, forcing her equally as green eyes to glare once again at the others around. That was, until her friends seemed to have popped right from that crowd giving her equal looks.

"What the hell are you stinking about?" Ruby snarled playfully at her, pushing the blonde slightly.

"What do you mean?" Emma sniffed, shooing her friend's hand away to stop the playful taunt. "I'm not doing anything."

"Yes you are. You're about to kill someone, or looks as if you will." That was Belle who spoke, giving her that special look that told she _knew_. After an intense moment of the stare down, Emma finally broke contact and turned away, shaking her head. The two of her friends chuckled, lost in their own amusement at her free range guilt.

"Hello, girls." Regina greeted them belatedly, an amused smile on her own red lips. "Are you two having fun?"

The two quickly sobered upon realizing the brunette teacher had been standing there beside their blonde friend. They must have overlooked the teacher the first time because their eyes were bulging, thought it may have been the surprise of her joining in the conversation to save Emma's behind.

Though it was Ruby who had sobered the quickest from it, already supplying her ludicrous nature as she replied to Regina's question with a different subject. "You dance pretty well for a teacher."

"Thank you, dear." The brunette teacher's nose twitched at the statement.

"Are you even a teacher?" The lanky waitress queried suspiciously, tilting her head with a wolfish grin. "I mean, dayum girl, you really got it going on with your moves there."

"Ruby!" That was belle who had reprimanded the tallest brunette, giving her a look that reminded Emma of Regina when she said something wrong. "Can you be the least bit of appropriate? She was my _teacher_."

"So?" Ruby dared to venture, her wide smile reappearing. "She's still a human, too. We're adults."

The little brunette scoffed at her girlfriend before moving away from the group to idly stare at the snack table. Ruby, on the other hand, had snapped into a different mood but had chosen to remain behind, her face stoic. "Woops. I made a big no-no."

"Why is it that you know every way and a half to get on people's nerves?" Emma snorted, trying to sate the laughter burning in her chest. Those two were like an old married couple. She loved watching them bicker as one or the other would storm off, leaving their counterpart shell-shocked. Of course, they never stayed angry at each other long and were laughing together before you knew it.

Sometimes the two of them reminded her of her and Regina when they got into small tiffs. They would be made up by the end of the day and acting as if nothing had ever happened.

"Reminds me of a certain blonde." The husky voice situated with the three had spoken, seeming to loosely let the words roam free without the consent of her logical mind.

Emma didn't think a thing of the statement before it hit her like a two ton cement brick… Or Ruby's hand across the back of her arm.

"Annoying your 'favorite' teacher, now, are we?" The long haired brunette mocked, using Mary Margaret's words from earlier that evening.

"Ruby, no." Emma glared at her friend because here she went again. The damned waitress still taunted her over anything that had dealt with Regina. If Emma didn't have half a brain, she would have already told her friends to shut them up over their obsession to mess with her.

Maybe that would be something on her agenda before she left Storybrooke. Time has succeeded enough in building the two of her friends up to this point. Perhaps they even matured for it.

…Yeah, right.

"Oh, come on, Emma. You know?" Ruby quirked a brow, stepping forward to give her _that_ look. She was referring to Emma's initial feelings towards the brunette teacher, though she was decent enough to refrain from saying anything in front of her. For now, anyways.

"I know that you should shut the hell up and go apologize to Belle." Emma muttered, teeth grinding impatiently against each other. Sometimes she wondered why she ever became friends with that girl. She could be so damned button-pushing and always seemed to detonate just the right one.

Ruby scoffed at her friend's comment, a hand on her hip. "You are so _rude_."

"Likewise, Rubes." Emma bit, pushing her friend towards the snack table where Belle had still stood with a soda in hand. She was met with protests when the tall brunette planted her feet on the ground with a dirty look, but it was thanks to the blonde's strength that had the nineteen-year-old stomping off.

But not without comment as Ruby headed off, her arm in the air to flip Emma off. "God will get you for that!"

"There is no God where you're going, Ruby." The blonde caught the last laugh before finally turning back to her "date."

"Now I can see where your attitude comes from." The brunette quirked a brow at her young lover. "And your not-so-witty comebacks."

"Oh, shush!" Emma huffed, glaring towards the two of her friends that stood in the distance, arguing at one another. "I'm too slow to come up with something good."

Regina shook her head, an amused smile on her face as she lift a hand to pick something out of Emma's blonde curls. The latter watched on when she pulled her fingers away with what had her interest. "You are anything but slow, my dear."

"You're just saying that." But the statement had her blushing, her cheeks heating up more than they already had been as she continued to stare at that brunette. Her brows had now furrowed when Regina had, once again, plucked something from her hair.

"What the hell are you doing?" She finally asked, hands drawn to her sides.

The brunette merely shook her head with another stunning smile, bright and white in the gym lights. "Would you like to prove to yourself just how… _fast_ I believe you to be?" Her tone had suddenly dropped into a husky whisper, plum lips twitching slightly. "Because I will show you how correct my statement will be."

The blonde's eyes had widened at the silk in her lover's voice, the words in which she had spoken could find Emma's release alone. Oh _god_ , what was she doing to her with all of these people around them?

"Are you trying to lead me on, Ms. Mills?" Emma inquired, brows rising as they awaited an answer.

And the response was anything but what she had hoped for as that brunette licked her plump lips with a swipe of her taunting tongue. "Wouldn't you like to find out?"

"Yes," she whimpered. It was the overwhelming sensation snatching her body from all things logical, forcing her knees to become weak and her heart to thump almost painfully against her chest. That woman could seriously annihilate her if she desired it. And the way that she stared at her was both frightening and somehow majestic in the way that she gave her _that_ look. Her bedroom eyes.

"Then meet me outside." She smirked and leaned in, her voice dropping even more as she spoke into Emma's ear, her breath hot and moist against the latter's skin. "I parked a few blocks down so we could leave together."

Y-You want to leave now?" Emma swallowed thickly, jade orbs widening.

The brunette straightened, shrugging. "We don't have to."

"No." The word could have left Emma's lips fast enough. "I mean… it's boring anyways. Being here."

"Alright, dear. I'll make haste to leave first. I'm quite sure that the other chaperones won't miss me." And with that, the brunette departed from her girlfriend's side to do as she had said. Her hips swaying from side to side with each step, almost as if she had known that Emma was going to observe.

And she definitely was. Her eyes never leaving the older woman's posterior until the round rump disappeared within the sea of bodies. Emma sighed at the loss and turned from Regina's path to find out where Ruby and Belle had run off to. She might as well tell them that she had planned on leaving or else they would surely have another conniption like the last time that she had left early without informing them.

Her friends. She didn't know how she found them.

Must have been in a barn by the looks of it.

Emma wrinkled her nose slightly as she witnessed Ruby scarfing down a piece of cake with Belle at her side, giving the waitress a pissy look. She warily made her way over to them.

"I told you!" Ruby cheered, tossing the empty plate into the trash can behind them. "I can eat it in less than a minute."

"I question myself, sometimes, as to why I even tolerate you." The shorter brunette made a face. "And how you never gain a single pound. I've seen the way you eat."

"What the hell are you two doing?" Emma quirked a brow as she had finally met up with the two, soon propping herself against the table that they stood next to.

"I'm showing her how much I really like cake." Ruby smiled, earning an eye roll from her counterpart.

"More like how she can inhale it within five seconds."

" _Two_ seconds, thank you very much." The taller of the two gave a wolfish grin.

Belle scrunched her nose up, making a face that clearly showed her annoyance at the other brunette before turning to look at the blonde with a smile. "What brings you to this insanity boat?"

"My own little messed up mind is a free roaming passenger." Emma shrugged, pushing herself from the table. "Also, I'm plan on leaving. Like, now." She hummed, fixing the ruffled layers of her scarf.

"Leave? Why?" That was ruby, jumping forward to interrogate her friend. "Where the hell are you going?"

"Home. It's boring and I have a migraine." Emma monotonously stated, shrugging off the look her friends had given her. She knew that they had to have sensed her lie. They gave her the look that they always did when she flaked out early and made up a lie to get out. They never said anything, but always tended to grow suspicious.

Though she knew that they always hated it when she ditched early and left them alone, although it wasn't like there wasn't much that they would be missing if she were to leave. She normally secluded herself (or felt secluded), leaving the two to miss whatever fun they could be having for they would always chase her around.

Frankly, she was the party pooper… and a third wheel when it came to the two.

"Don't try to stop me because I can't be." Emma raised her hands and turned around to prove just that point. She ignored the protests that her friends shot in her direction and made haste towards the door before she caved and turned back around.

"You're a bitch, Em!" Ruby shouted over the heads behind Emma.

That was just like the waitress. It was a harmless statement, of course. She would never hatefully call Emma a bitch, but she knew the brunette was pissed off that she was leaving early once again. Emma had tended to do that more often than not anymore, and she _did_ promise that she would be here tonight for the dance. In which she had been, even if it were for only about a half hour.

Oh well.

Emma was on her way to Regina's car now and there definitely was no going back. She grinned to herself the entire way, the cool night's breeze caressing her skin like a lover's touch. It was a perfect night, she thought to herself, head tilt back to look up at the star dotted sky.

She had absolutely no idea where the hell Regina had parked.

Huffing to herself, she dropped her head back down as she fished her cellphone from her bra to message the brunette. She was not at all tolerant enough to get lost and go the wrong direction. Yes, it _was_ a gorgeous night and thankfully not cold enough to freeze her nipples off, but she was also _uncomfortable_. Uncomfortable in the best way possible, of course, as she continued to think of what the brunette had said. Her excitement was rising and her patience wearing thin.

Exhaling softly, she pressed on in the direction in which she had started. Perhaps it was for the best that she would walk off some of the extra energy building up within her. She wouldn't want to be _too_ pumped up, or else things might not end that well. It had happened once before after a long, taunting day and by the end of it, she had been too anxious. _Way_ too anxious and ruined the entire evening.

She didn't want that happening again. Not tonight. It was a special night, or so Regina had told her the night before over the phone. She had something up her sleeve, leaving the blonde even more anxious about that as well.

Buzzing with anxiety, Emma quickened her footings until her phone had vibrated in her hand with a new message, that from Regina.

**_I see you. Keep walking and cross the street._ **

The blonde blinked slightly and stuffed her phone back in its hiding place before quickening her pace once again. It was rather dark out and hard to see what the vehicles in the distance had looked like. There were several parked along the street for the dance and, unfortunately, quite a few were dark colored.

She kept her eyes peeled for that black Mercedes across the street. If Regina could see her, that had meant she wasn't too far ahead. Why couldn't Emma see her?

"Over here! You're starting to look paranoid." Regina called from across the street, ironically in front of where said blonde had stood.

Emma quickly hopped across the street to meet Regina who had been standing outside her car with a hearty grin. She looked cuddled up within herself, arms crossed over her chest and a white scarf that she seemed to have donned recently wrapped around her neck.

"There you are, Ms. Swan. What took you so long?"

"Ruby, Belle. I told them I was leaving." Emma grinned, taking in the woman that stood in front of her, finally landing on the ruffled white scarf that matched her own. "Where was that?"

"Oh!" The teacher chuckled softly to herself, loosening the scarf around her neck to allow the material to hang loosely against her chest. "I had forgotten to put it on and left it in the car."

"Liar," the blonde fingered the white material. "You didn't want to wear it."

"That is untrue!" Regina's eyes fell to Emma's pale finger, a soft smile floating across her features. "What…"

"I don't know." She dropped her hand, giggling. "So, here I am."

"Are you raunchy like a hurricane, dear?" The brunette leaned forward slightly, though it was close enough for Emma to feel the older woman's warmth radiate onto her.

"It's 'rock you like a hurricane,' Regina." Emma wrinkled her nose with a large grin. The misheard song lyrics of that song was something her older lover had always made fun of, speaking it to be "raunchy," even though she knew that wasn't what was sung. She did it regardless just to get on the blonde's nerves. But Emma didn't mind much anymore. In fact, she actually found it a little cute.

"But I can be raunchy if you want me to." The blonde's words were a gentle growl, her body gravitating towards Regina's.

"And you can show me just how _not slow_ you can be." The older woman smirked, the distance between them growing smaller. She quickly licked her lips, mocha eyes focused on the blonde's sweet, pink lips.

Emma couldn't help but to react the same, her own emerald hues dropping to the tongue that slid across dark, luscious lips. "I'd love to."

"Then do it." She whispered in response, the words hitting Emma's wetted lips like the breeze that roared around them.

Emma didn't hesitate to accept the invitation and surged forward to meet those taunting lips in a soft, chaste kiss. Pulling away, she breathed, their air mingling together between them for but a moment before she had dove in again to get a better taste. And boy did she.

Regina's lips were sweet and soft, the sensation of them against Emma's own was pure bliss. She moaned when they responded to the kiss, her breath growing ragged. The pleasant sensation sent a shock down her spine, forcing all the hairs on her body to stand on end.

It was the brunette's soft moan that had her blonde lover's body to heat up instantly, the cool breeze no longer affecting her. She was _hot_ and her body was responding to Regina the more the kiss had deepened into a fervent desperation that had Emma pushing the older woman back against the car. Her pelvis ground into the brunette's in a need to relieve pressure that wouldn't get the attention that it needed, and had only grown far more unbearable the more Regina had pressed desperately back.

"Emma…" She panted against the blonde's lips as she pulled away from the kiss momentarily, her eyes heavy with sudden desire.

"Gina," Emma cupped the older woman's cheek as the latter moved forward to catch her lower lip between her teeth, nibbling and tugging at it as her fingers slid through the golden blonde curls.

"We should probably go…" The brunette whispered breathlessly, those olive digits still tangled in Emma's hair while the other rested on her behind.

"Yeah… can't fuck against the car." Emma muttered unhappily, licking her lips. "Too bad, because I would." She grinned, earning a salacious smirk from the brunette herself.

"No, no. We do need to go." Regina stated, though mostly to herself before she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Mm… damn. You taste so sweet."

"I know." The blonde beamed self-righteously, her thumb stroking the brunette's cheek. "I ate some cupcakes that my fos-"

"So is that how you plan on losing your migraine?" A voice different from Regina's had interrupted Emma's thought, causing her to freeze as if she were a deer caught in headlights.

Because that voice belonged to _Ruby_.

"Shit!" She quickly stepped away from Regina who had already released the blonde's ass, though had troubles untangling her fingers from the blonde locks.

"My ring is stuck." The older woman panicked, tugging a bit more in desperation to get away, but that had only earned a pained protest from the blonde.

"So… you got caught making out with the teacher. Damn, she _was_ gay." The slender brunette waitress was already behind Emma with Belle at her side. The blonde was thanking whatever force that her back was to her friend because she could _see_ the smirk that she wore.

"Ruby, shut up." Emma hissed, trying to help Regina's ring get uncaught.

Meanwhile, Regina just stood there, frozen in her spot because like hell she knew what she was going to do. The two of them got caught. They were stupid and careless and got caught. Thankfully it was by Ruby and Belle. They wouldn't tell a soul without their heads getting chopped off.

"Hah! It's free!" Emma pushed her lover's hand away, happier than hell to get that painful piece of metal out of her sensitive scalp. "How in the _hell_ did that happen?" She stared at Regina who had gazed at her with confused look.

"I usually take them off." The older woman seemed to whisper.

"No. No. You're explaining this." Ruby interrupted once again, this time forcing the blonde around to face her. Then she grinned, a laugh falling from her bright red lips. "Your cheeks are so pink!"

"Wha- No!" The blonde quickly covered her cheeks and immediately felt the blood rising to the surface of her skin. "What the hell are you doing here, anyways?"

"You lied." That was Belle this time, her soft-spoken voice finally rising above. "And apparently to leave us and-"

"Screw the teacher." Ruby finished her girlfriend's sentence with her patented wolfish grin.

"Could you seriously not be so inappropriate?" Emma muttered, arms crossing over her chest. "Why the hell did you have to follow me?"

"We wanted to see where you were going." The taller brunette elaborated, eyes falling to the teacher who was still pressed against the car. "And obviously not where we thought… or where you said."

"Now you know. Now you can leave us alone." Emma waved a hand in the air towards the older woman, who in return, had stared at her with a dubious look.

"Do you honestly believe that Ruby will _just leave us alone_ in a situation like this?" Regina finally spoke up, her voice slightly hoarse. She finally moved from her spot to stand next to the blonde and in front of Ruby. "I tend to know how she reacts."

"See, even Ms. Mills knows that the hell goes on in my mind. Now, Em," she turned towards her blonde friend with a sardonic look. "Explain me this: what the hell is going on? I mean, I knew you had a crush on her, but… What the hell?"

"Obviously it's not a crush anymore. Okay? Done? Done." The blonde hastily brushed her friend off, clearly in no mood to deal with the persistent waitress. She didn't want to have to explain herself to her friends, not now. She and Regina were something that was meant to have been kept a secret, but it seemed that little by little they were getting exposed. Thankfully the end of the school year was done and over with, leaving the risk to lower.

"Fine. I won't bother you with it." Ruby mumbled, the smile vanishing from her face. Belle, on the other hand, remained curious as she gazed between the two lovers in front of her with a thoughtful expression.

"What?" Emma couldn't help but to notice the smaller brunette's curious blue gaze upon them.

"This couldn't have possibly just happened tonight." She quietly stated, eyes falling upon her former Creative Writing teacher. "Could it?"

Regina stared at her former student, then turned her attention to Emma before sighing softly as she admitted the truth. "No, it hasn't. But you cannot tell _anybody_. At least not tonight."

"I never would." Belle took the oath, smile softly to the older brunette before bringing her attention to her blonde friend. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because of how you reacted before. How the hell was I to know what you would do?" The blonde narrowed her eyes for a moment, sighing.

"Nothing. We would have supported you, Emma. That's what friends are for, aren't they?"

"Yeah, girl. You can lesbian with your teacher. We don't care." Ruby smirked, causing her friend's cheeks to burn aflame. "Especially since she's hot."

" _Ruby_." Emma hissed, stepping forward to slap her friend's arm but was prevented to do so by Regina grabbing her arm.

"Emma, honey, no. Act like an adult. I do not wish to date a _child_." The brunette quirked a brow at the blonde, giving her _that_ look. "Children do not get the adult things."

"But I like the adult things…" Emma muttered, giving her a playful pout. "I know, I know. I'm an adult. But Ruby brings out the kid in me because she pisses me off."

"So I gather." Regina shifted her gaze from Emma to the other woman in question, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.

"Oh, this is disturbing." Ruby voiced her thoughts, eyes wide while she had listened to the prior conversation. "Maybe we should just go, Belle. Leave these two… secret lovers to their crazy ass 'adult things.'"

"Yes. You should." Emma readily agreed, waving off in the direction of the school. "Pretend you saw nothing."

But her comment was met with laughter as Ruby shook her head, clasping a hand to her back. There was something almost condescending about it. "How can I even _attempt_ to forget this? Now if it's going to blab to people about it is your main concern, don't worry, we won't. We aren't _that_ horrible."

"Good." Emma narrowed her eyes at the older teenager, soon after shrugging her off to step away from the Benz. "Anyways, Ruby."

"Anyways, Emma." She smirked at the mock of her blonde friend's words, eyes floating, once again, between the two. "We're leaving you and… Ms. Mills-"

"Her name is Regina." Emma interrupted, humming towards her brunette lover.

" _Regina_. I know what her name is, smartass." Ruby still looked slightly perturbed, though, at the thought of the two associating. Emma wouldn't blame her. "I just want to know one last thing… How?!"

"What happens in Boston, stays in Boston." The blonde smirked, eyes hovering towards the brunette next to her, whose dark eyes grew black at the memories.

"Wait. Wait. Hold the phone." Ruby looked baffled at the statement, hands in front of her. "You two have been together since… _then_?" When Emma merely nodded, she gawked and remained quiet, as if the words had failed to leave her mouth.

"You lied. You didn't see Graham at all." Belle gasped, bright hues turning molten when she had realized just that. "Actually, I did. We saw him just before we left."

It was Ruby this time that had spoken, regaining her lost voice. "So he _knows_?"

"Yes, he does."

"Damn him!" She growled, having a small fit. "I hate it when people keep secrets from me."

Emma shrugged, rolling her eyes as she decided not to offer a consolation to her best friend. Ruby didn't need to know _everything_ that went on in her life, even if it were something this large. It was best to keep things close, for Emma had much practice in the arts of secrecy. That's all she had done her entire life and it worked well for her up to this point.

"You don't need to know everything. It didn't hurt you before and now you know. Just be happy." Emma sighed softly, voicing her thoughts. But it was the cool breeze that had her falter, the night's air nipping at the exposed surfaces of her skin, forcing a shiver down her spine.

Thanks to that shiver, Regina had noticed her young partner's state and inched closer to her with an extended arm that had immediately found its way around her waist. "Are you chilly, my dear?"

"I'm alright." The blonde mumbled her lie, despite the chill she still had. But she was given away as she remained still, not twitching a single muscle to move from the warmth of Regina's body.

She was alright.

Ruby made herself known from the mild interruption, coughing unsubtly at the two of them because she absolutely _hated_ it when no one paid any attention to her. "Fine." She gritted through her teeth as if it were painful to say the word.

Emma brought her gaze up to the tall brunette, quirking a brow at the older girl. She merely stood there, eyes upon the two, letting her initial mood vanish and transform into a bright, cheerful smile. Even Belle had gazed strangely to the brunette as had the other two parties. That girl was bipolar if Emma hadn't seen it.

"I _am_ happy. For you. I mean… You had this major crush on her and somehow you made it work. Like… What the hell?" Ruby blubbered out, stepping towards them in her tall, crimson heels. She dove forward without shame, engulfing the two of them in her arms. "Go be gay together, okay? We'll stay back and I'll text you later… Or tomorrow."

Emma blinked and laughed, squeezing her with an arm as Regina had quite literally stood there as if she were a statue with features frozen in horror. The blonde quirked a brow.

She knew how awkward the brunette got when it came to situations such as this- where they needn't hide themselves or their relationship- and people like ruby pointed out the obvious technicalities of it so blatantly.

Emma always found it odd how Regina seemed to shy away from labeling herself. Sometimes others, for that fact, though it was mostly personal. She had barely mentioned the nature of their relationship, instead, thinking their lifestyle to be just as the "normal" couples. Of course, Emma understood that. They were human with feelings and desires as everybody else. They weren't anything special or different at all. They were a mundane couple- two people who loved each other and shared their lives with one another- and she marveled in the way that Regina acted as if they were just that.

Though, the factor of having to hide their relationship changed the scenario. They had really only been out in public once, and that was in Boston. The older woman still seemed to think nothing of it, and even seemed proud of herself with Emma by her side. But what would it be like when the two of them would be able to make their relationship public? What would happen then when they went out? It shouldn't be any different, right? Regain was a calm, open minded woman that wouldn't let a thing get too far under her skin.

Hopefully.

"Yeah. You do that. I think it's time to-"

"Get our asses home." Regina finished the blonde's sentence and turned to open the driver's door of her car, face entirely flushed from Ruby's comments.

"Well!" The brunette waitress laughed, moving once again to hug her friend with Belle joining in this time. Each wore a satisfied, yet equally as jovial, smile on their face. "Have fun, Em. Kay?"

"You too." The blonde laughed, saying her goodbyes to the two of her best friends.

She soon after climbed into the Benz next to Regina, exhaling. "I wasn't expecting that."

"I suppose that is the consequence of being… Naughty." She smirked, pulling from the curb.

"You wanted me to prove that I wasn't slow!" Emma's cheeks were burning at the memory.

The brunette hummed softly at the response, amusement lighting upon her features. "You did, and rather well, I might add." The palms of her hands slid over the smooth leather of the steering wheel as she turned the corner with the same saucy smirk that she had previous donned.

"Maybe you could exude a little of that quickness into your driving?" The blonde's words were a playful song in the air, not holding long before the response was given by the roar of the engine. They were left taking off down the empty street at a speed that wasn't legal in this small town.

"Whoa, don't get yourself in trouble." Emma's eyes widened, but she couldn't help the joyous bubble of excitement tingling her being from head to toe.

She was met with a grin as the older woman turned down each street, tracing the path back to her house with the eagerness of a horny teenager. Really, this night wasn't just for the freshly graduated students, were they? "With my cat-like reflexes, we'll be alright." She murmured, finally pulling onto their street.

Emma couldn't have been more relieved- in more ways than just one. Her heart pounded in her ears, a deafening sound that resonated when the engine was cut and they were pulled to a safe stop. Her darkened eyes drew towards the brunette who merely offered her an expectant smirk.

"We're here." She nonchalantly stated, unlocking the doors to the Benz before she exited the aged vehicle with a gentle hum. "I mean, if you are comfortable with joining me in my humble abode?"

"Oh, it would only be my pleasure." Emma was battling the various ruffles of her dress by the time she joined Regina on the path towards the front door. The older woman chuckled at the younger one, helping her out by gently smoothing out the layered white material.

"You mustn't fret long over that dress. It will soon no longer be a problem." Regina stopped her grooming mannerisms to catch the blonde's gaze, her hand slowly pulling from the latter's being. A grin hooked onto her lips, drawing them up into a beautiful beam when Emma stopped suddenly in her fretful tracks. The blonde blinked momentarily, a smile of her own soon carving her face.

"You are beautiful, you know that?" Regina breathed, the hand that had once groomed her young lover came into contact with a blushing cheek, cupping it as if it were a delicate white lily.

"Thanks…" She sheepishly replied. As if she knew how to reply to that without striking up a little tiff. "Y-You look… astonishing toni-"

"Shh…" The brunette stopped the younger woman's compliment by pressing a finger to her lips. "Don't speak. Accept the compliment."

"Okay."

The generous nod given by Emma had her older counterpart chuckling softly, but that was short-lived as she silenced herself with a gentle kiss to the blonde's bewildered mouth. A gasp left her parted lips at the gesture, leaving her to lean in for another taste of those soft, sweet lips once again.

But she was met by air when the brunette pulled away, a key in hand. "We need to get inside, dear." Her hand fell away from Emma's cheek to clasp into the hand that idly remained by her side.

"Yeah…" The blonde nodded quickly, eager once again to enter Regina's domain. The two of them were soon inside the cool foyer, left in the dark silence with nothing but their anxious breaths to fill it.

"Come," Regina tugged at Emma's hand, urging the younger woman to follow her through the darkness. She trusted the brunette in front of her as she was guided up the stairs, taking each slowly until they reached the landing and continued onward. Then they turned into a room that smelled strongly of Regina's spicy perfume.

Then Emma's senses were suddenly flooded by a bright light as the light switch was flicked on by the other party. Blinking to get used to the new light, the blonde was able to make out the room's familiar furnishings and the woman who had owned it. Regina stood beside her with an absent smile as if she were doing the same, staring at nothing in particular.

The only difference that Emma was able to point out was the new dressing on the bed, perfected to match the purple and white ruffles that she and Regina wore. There was something odd about the color combination with ruffles and the brunette's obsession over it. But why inquire further? It was her thing, and the blonde was going to go with it.

The two colors didn't look back together, either.

The bedspread was a violet waterfall of satin ruffles, matching the equally as elegant white satin pillows and rich sheets nearly hidden underneath them all. It almost felt a shame to ruin such a masterpiece. The damned bed looked as if it were from a magazine. It even had those fancy little decorative pillows and shams that Emma found useful to stuff around her.

"Do you like it?" Regina curiously inquired, chestnut orbs rising to meet with Emma's jade ones.

"I love it! It's like one of those magazine beds." The blonde squeezed her girlfriend's hand before letting go of it, all too excited to test the mattress out. She rushed towards the bed and perched on the edge of it, immediately sliding off the slick surface. "Well…"

"Dear…" Regina laughed, stepping forward to help the teenager off the floor. The blonde resembled something that of an angry bunny as she attempted to pick herself up, but to no avail when those heels prevented her from doing so. Kicking them off and far away from her, Emma finally managed to stand with a giggling brunette beside her.

It wasn't like she could stay angry-bunny long, for she too joined in with a giggle of her own. "Sit on the bed _fully_ ," she noted to herself. "It's slippery."

"It tends to be like that, Emma." The brunette chuckled softly. She held onto the younger woman's arms still, squeezing them slightly as if to keep her steady; and even when their laughter had died down, leaving the two of them to be caught by the one another's eyes.

Whenever that had happened, Emma couldn't help but to let that smile reach her eyes. What she saw in those dark hues was all that she ever needed. She felt as if all the questions she ever had would be answered by a simple look in those chocolate pools, warm with her soul's reflected emotions.

And it was a beautiful thing when that smile was returned to her. Regina's lips couldn't have curved any further if she were the Cheshire cat because she saw the same in Emma's own, the blonde was hopeful of it.

Oh, but dear, as she gazed into those eyes now, the emotion had transformed. It was once something tragically sweet and now it was defiled by the sudden desire of lust; and it was that lust that drew the two beings closer towards one another to share a magical kiss.

Emma moaned softly against her lover's lips as she sought out the older woman's hips, and when she did, she _dug_ her fingers into the delicate flesh as her toes curled into themselves. This was something beautiful, she hummed her tune with Regina as their intimate moment was shared. The kiss grew more passionate, more devoted towards the original intent leaving bruises on Emma's upper arms and no doubt to Regina's hips.

They gravitated towards each other, closer and closer until their beings met and moved as one, the kiss shared bringing them together in other means. It was frantic, but not sloppy, earning desperate groans as they fought to keep up with each other; hands drifting from their original spots to explore other grounds to root onto, unable to locate the perfect spot.

But then they ended up pulling away, Emma breaking the kiss first to gaze up at the brunette before her, eyes wide and eager. Regina nodded towards the bed where the blonde had immediately obeyed, carefully hopping onto the slick surface of the bedspread as she awaited her queen.

"You should join me." Emma smirked up at the brunette. Her entire body was bursting with new energy and staring at Regina who stood disheveled, lips swollen and pinks, had only increased it tenfold.

The older woman grinned at the invitation and slowly padded towards her blonde lover, each step a seductive sway that drew Emma in deeper. Her once bright, innocent eyes had turned dark and full of lust. Her body was just as responsive when Regina had occupied the space next to her, climbing onto the mattress on her knees.

It gave her height against Emma's slightly slouching form, and when the blonde had moved to straighten up to meet her, her face was lost between two olive hands; lips soon covered by those soft, enticing ones that had her moaning at the sweet sensation. She eagerly responded to the kiss, her lips sliding hungrily against the older woman's as they fueled the kindle fire that had already started to burn. The latter groaned against her lips, hands fervently searching the blonde's body as her own pressed hotly against Emma's.

Her insides were on fire, begging to relieve of the pressure that had her heart thumping and the sensitive parts of her body aching. The pressure that Regina had exerted by her own form did little for Emma, for she had merely responded with a pleased mewl and forced the brunette onto her back.

Their lips broke apart from the sudden change in position, the older woman underneath her blonde lover gazed up with obsidian eyes and a salacious smirk on pink lips. Emma had silently flipped a leg over the brunette's, straddling her hips with hands planted down on either side of her head. She smirked, their silence working together to create a novel as they spoke with the emotions in their rambunctious orbs, telling of a world that their souls bore.

Regina followed Emma's eyes, the untold commands soon fulfilled as she made the first moves by unzipping the pure white dress. The blonde watched on as she had peeled it away, heart thrumming against her chest bringing heat to her face. The ache between her thighs grew unbearable by the time the top of her dress was pooled around her waist with Regina already at the hooks of her bra.

"Why can't clothes just vanish?" She groaned to herself, attempting to help the older woman out of her own violet dress with no fruit to bear. Their position had proven rather difficult to do much with the clothing and had Emma growing more frustrated- both sexually and emotionally.

Regina had nodded at the comment, her fingers sliding up the pale palette of her young lover's back and towards her shoulders where those olive digits plucked at the straps. Emma growled softly and watched as the white scrap of material fell away, leaving her exposed.

She didn't mind the least bit and, instead, had taken advantage to shift into a different position. Her dress was easily removed by then as were her panties, in which she had impatiently ripped off before bringing the curious raven haired woman down on top of her.

The older woman chuckled at the younger woman's haste as she appeared to take things far more slowly. "You certainly are… fast, now, aren't you?

Regina's hand fell to the blonde's cheek, cupping the soft surface. A smile as bright as the sun exploded on her face, leaving Emma to do the same, her heart squeezing in her chest.

"Gorgeous," she whispered, leaning down to brush her lips against the corner of Emma's mouth, her hot and moist breath falling in steady puffs against the pale surface.

Emma continued to smile as her hands explored up the brunette's sides, seeking out the zipper of her dress. Easily. She slid the metal piece down, the sound of the teeth separating seemed loud in the otherwise quiet room. Regina purred, hips gyrating slightly as that dress fell away, already exposing the sensitive mounds on her chest.

"Along with the scarf, you seem to have forgotten your bra as well." Emma chuckled softly, a hand sliding from her lover's tawny shoulder to slide down the rounded flesh, cupping the globe as if it were fragile.

Regina moan softly, her back arching into the gentle touch. "Oh, god, I need you more than I thought." She bit her lip, brown eyes disappearing behind their lids.

"I know," Emma growled softly, hands falling to her girlfriend's hips to urge the older woman up. Regina protested for a moment before realizing her current situation, dress still looked around her waist, and made a move to take it off.

The ruffled outfit was on the ground before either of the two could blink and the brunette teacher was completely nude as she settled back on Emma. The blonde had noticed the lack of undergarments, once again, her brows raising in surprise. She hadn't made a comment over the fact, instead, she wrapped her arms around Regina, their bare flesh pressed against one another.  
Emma let out a soft grunt, the physical contact something that she had been waiting for. Something beautifully cruel as it weren't enough. The blonde hummed, wrapping her legs around the darker woman who lay between them, a pained look on her face as she attempted to grind against her with no relief.

A pale hand slid down the smooth flesh of Regina's back, landing on her rump as she lifted her head to press a light kiss to the plump lips. Her hand _squeezed_ when the sweet gesture was returned, though far from the innocence that it had intended to be.

The brunette nipped and nibbled, tongue invading the blonde's mouth with great vigor as she slowly began to rock against Emma, the movements giving them a sweet friction that softened the sharp edges of their arousal.

Emma arched her back, fingers digging into the delicious, plump flesh of her lover's ass as the pleasure slowly increased. The nerves in her body grew more alert with each passing movement, coaxing the hairs on her body to stand on end.

Regina's breasts were sweet and soft, yet so miraculously hard as they brushed against her own sensitive chest, forcing her to arch even more as she attempted to exert more pressure.

" _Oh_ ," the blonde gasped sharply, the moan dissipating into her former teacher's mouth. It was met with Regina's own pleasured noises as an olive hand disappeared between their heated bodies. Emma gasped at the exploring fingers, her body responding jerkily as they brushed over every sensitive part of her body. Over the excited pert of her chest to her ticklish sides and down the curve of them to land on her hip.

Emma merely whimpered, legs falling from around Regina's waist as the latter had that curious hand tease between them. The slender digits explored the slick folds, dipping tauntingly between them with a menacing smile. The younger woman's breath hitched at the long awaited contact, her hips bucking up and grinding down in a desperate need for more. She murmured a plea, her entire body restless now as it was promised the relief it needed. Her own hands had encouraged, massaging her lover's backside as the other wrapped over her shoulder, short nails scratching against the tawny flesh.

This had, in fact, encouraged the brunette, for she thrust two digits between the aching folds. Her body moved with them, forcing a sharp gasp to fall from Emma's lips as she desperate gyrated against each thrust that was given from the brunette.

"Regina," Emma grunted the older woman's name, her face burying into raven locks as she continued to ride those fingers desperate. The duo had turned into a trio soon enough as the brunette shifted, pumping those fingers deeper and harder.

"Do you like that?" She husked, her face glistening with a sheen of sweat and glowing with a salacious smile.

"Mm-hmm..!" Emma barely managed, nodding as she continued to grind up against those pleasing fingers, using Regina's shoulder as leverage to keep up with the set pace.

The brunette growled when her ass had been slapped, another encouragement for her continued pace. Her eyes only grew darker, the thrusts faster, and her own hips moving against Emma's thigh to put the edge off her growing arousal.

This only had Emma's moaning echo in the large bedroom. Her thigh had grown damper with each grind of her lover's hips, adding to the pressure building up within her loins.

Regina purred, a look of bliss on her face reflecting her young lover's as she felt the latter grown closer. Her thumb shifted to find the sweetest spot, brushing over the sensitive bundle of nerves that had Emma seeing stars.

White exploded in the blonde's vision as she tipped over the edge, hips bucking into Regina's quick paced ones with a hearty cry. The older woman hadn't bothered to slow her pace as she helped ride that magical climax out.

"Fuck!" The word was a short shout when the blonde finally tumbled down that celestial mountain, her chest heaving and her skin slick with sweat.

The two of them lay there, each breathless as they stared into each other's eyes. A pale smile met a crimson one as chocolate met forest.

And them Emma was on top of the older woman with a giant smirk on her lips. Regina looked beautiful with messy hair and a luscious smile. The older woman looked up at her, legs opening for the younger one as she silently pressed a path of kisses down her chest.

The brunette giggles softly, her fingers curling into thick, blonde curls. She squirmed slightly, moaning as Emma's journey hadn't stopped. Her lips caressed the olive flesh, venturing from the valley between her breasts dipping down across her stomach until she finalized her voyage to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Both moaned.

Emma inhaled the musky scent of her lover, the excitement building between her thighs already. She had been waiting for this for far too long, or so it seemed. Groaning softly to herself, the blonde dipped her head between her lover's thighs to get the long desired taste of the soaked folds, greedily lapping up the sweet nectar.

"Emma!" Regina immediately cried, hips sliding forward to add the desired pressure. Emma didn't hesitate to explore, her tongue delving between the nether lips to seek out the pert little bud that had a sharp cry echo in the room.

Accomplished, the blonde moved closer, her hands latching onto Regina's hips as she quickened her pace to earn more of the honeyed notes. It was a beautiful medley of musical pleasure when she had succeeded in that, the brunette's hips moving in time with each flick of the tongue.

"Yes! Please! I need to come!" The teacher pleaded, her fingers tangling and tugging desperately in those golden locks as she continued to shift wantonly against Emma's face.

The blonde growled softly against her lover as her hair was tugged at once again by those olive digits that had weaved themselves in. It was nothing but pure desperation in the air, filled with cried and the heat of their love. Hips fringing against a tongue that aimed to please and teasing fingers that toyed with the sensitive folds below.

The teacher cried out as she attempted to add more pressure, her legs drifting further apart. "M-more!" A hand fell to the blonde's shoulder to squeeze, nails digging painfully into the hot, pale flesh.

Emma abided the request with a grunt, her head moving in time with her tongue as she carefully slid a single digit into her lover. And that had Regina's back arching off the bed, hands seeking solace in anything nearby as her peak hit hard and fast. She lay stiff, convulsing against the blonde's finger that helped ride out the heavenly heights.

And soon she fell, crashing back onto the mattress of reality. Her chest heaved to catch a breath as Emma pulled away from her position, licking her lips before wiping the rest of the moisture from her face. She had other plans for that raven haired beauty.

Crawling slowly up the length of her lover's scrumptious form, she laid atop her heavily as she sought out the sultry lips awaiting her. Strong, tanned arms wrapped around her, pressing their nude flesh together in an intimate gesture even as Regina had turned onto her side with the blonde. Her legs curled around pale ones, intertwining them as laces would on shoes.

Their intimate kiss ended soon after, leaving them to hold each other as if they were afraid of being separated. Their breaths mingled as one, eyes staring dark and lust blown into each other's own.

"I love you," breathed the brunette, a single finger trailing from Emma's back to her face, petting it as if it were something so precious.

Emma's response wasn't too fast, nor too hesitant as she replied, eyes drooping as if she had gotten drunk off the loving caress. "I love you too, Gina."

Regina smiled at those five little words, her hand moving up the blonde's face to curl into those perfect blonde locks, slightly damped with sweat. Emma gazed up at her, heart seeming to squeeze in her chest. Her grip tightened as she lay her head on the older woman's chest, a happy hum falling from her lips.

Life seemed so _perfect_.

Emma was happy. Or as well as she could be for what felt like the first time in her life. Perhaps that was because she had finally started it? Would this be that point, she wondered silently as her hand absently stroked the brunette's arm? Or had she long before once meeting the joy of her life?

Whatever that may have been, she didn't mind. She was here now and the technicalities were unimportant, right?

Opening her eyes, she gazed upon the brunette who kept her eyes closed with a soft smile, fingers still combing absently through the gold strands.

Right.

Nothing else mattered.


	28. The Tale of Discovery

"Aw, shit! It's noon? Why the hell are you getting me up _now_?" Emma complained, eyes on the glowing numbers in front of her. She glowered at them before childishly flipping onto her other side to face the guilty party that had awoken her.

Regina still lay next to the blonde, a wicked smile on her face. "It certainly is, dear. That means half the day has gone."

"Not really." The blonde haired woman shifted up, watching closely as her raven haired counterpart brushed a finger over her shoulder. "We were up this morning."

"Mm, yes, but we _went to bed_ this… 'smorning." Her lips twitched in amusement for mocking Emma's pronunciation, or lack thereof when it came to the two words.

"Shush!" Emma playfully tickled her side, fingers dancing across the warm flesh.  
Regina squealed in response, wiggling around like a worm as she sought to get away from the blonde's teasing fingers.

"It's not my fault you wanted to stay up all night, Gina." She continued, pausing the tickles before she got injured by any possible flailing limbs.

"So you have decided to blame _me?_ " The brunette quirked a brow before quickly sitting up, shoving the blankets off her. "Emma, you have a special place that you're going to Ms. _Please-Don't-Stop-Let's-Get-Out-The-Toys_."

Emma's cheeks heated at the statement, her eyes watching the brunette curiously as the latter peeled herself from bed. "That wasn't _all_ me. You readily agreed." She muttered with a chuckle as Regina groaned softly, arms stretching above her head.

"Perhaps we are both the guilty party. None-the-less, you had said, at some point if I do recall correctly, that you promised you would be over to your parents in the morning." She turned to face the younger woman who still lay in bed, emerald orbs still glued to the masterpiece before her.

Emma couldn't seem to take Regina seriously. Not with the lack of clothing that she wore. Or the way she was giving her _that_ look with her hair resembling something that of a small child's doll. Boy, did she just love every inch of that woman? Inside and out.

"Noon is my morning, Ms. Troll Doll." The blonde snorted, climbing out of bed to join the brunette who glowered at her. The relief that Emma felt was marvelous knowing that Regina's eyes didn't have the ability to spit fire and roast her where she stood.

"I wouldn't talk. You looked as if you stuck a fork in the power socket." A scoff left the older woman's lips as she moved passed the younger one, moving towards the closer. Emma watched her current agenda, immediately assuming she was ready to take a shower.

A thought ran across the blonde's head, drawing heat back to her skin already. Oh, dear, it would probably be well-passed noon if they showered together. Perhaps she should contemplate using one of the other bathrooms to freshen up or else they would never leave this house.

Because that was her thought process right now and she wondered why she wasn't a man. Sometimes, she feared for herself. She was controlled by her vagina. Terrible, terrible pity that it was.

"You know, vagina, you don't always need to be in control." She voiced her thoughts aloud, plucking through her own wardrobe to find something suitable to wear.

Regina's head immediately popped away from whatever she was currently gazing at to give Emma a bewildered stare. "Did I just hear you talking to your… lady parts?"

"Lady parts?" Emma snorted at the term. There was something about that teacher. She seemed to _hate_ using crass language for anything, or using a term more directly related to something. Such as her sexual orientation. And genitals, apparently. Though, ironically enough, she didn't refrain from using that language when she was having sex.

"Your… intimate bits." Regina gestured towards the blonde's groin, cheeks dusting a soft pink that Emma had noted quickly. "Why are you talking to it?"

"Because, it's like a penis, you know? I think it has a mind of its own and my goddamn clitoris is the brain of the operation." Emma grumbled, grumpily plucking her clothes from the current drawer. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm a man."

"Oh, dear…" The brunette pursed her lips together, head shaking slowly. "You are such a horn dog, Emma Swan."

"Well, that's a new one." Emma blinked slightly at the new term. "I'm just gonna… go shower and try to get my… 'lady parts' to stop thinking about you."

The brunette smiled, amusement glowing in her eyes. She leaned forward to press a kiss to the top of the blonde's head before speaking. "Go do that, dear. I think I'm too sore to even attempt to try anything else right now."

"Yeah. I guess I need to get my ass over to my parents before Mary Margaret has a cow." She smiled at the small gesture and leaned up to press a chaste kiss to Regina's lips before rushing off to the bathroom. She was honestly too afraid of herself in that moment. If she continued any longer, she would surely take Regina again.

"Better not do that." She joked to herself, keeping her mock paranoia aside.

Emma shut the bathroom door behind her, realizing soon enough that she had totally assholed her way through to take a shower. Regina looked as if she had planned on taking one, but the brunette hadn't said a word when Emma mentioned she was hopping in.

Not trying to worry about that too much, the blonde placed her clothes on the toilet seat and prepared the shower, trying to think up any other thoughts to distract herself from the problem at hand. Mary Margaret and David were a good subject to think about, and her soon-to-be visit with them.

She planned on spending as much time as she could with the two before she left Storybrooke, in which the hourglass to that point was running low on grains of sand. Regina and Emma had planned on moving only a few weeks after graduation, which would give the brunette enough time to finish up the school year and the two to pack up the mansion.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to the apartment without any furniture. I want some of it, and of course all of my kitchen and bathroom items. A few wall decorations and a lamp or two. Or else there shouldn't be much we should bring besides personal items." Regina had said when Emma inquired her on what they were taking.

Emma had assumed the apartment was going to be rather small based on the pictures the brunette had shown her, and no matter what it wouldn't be a thing compared to the size of the manor that they currently reside in. Naturally, that had led to the assumption of leaving the furniture behind and bringing only a select few, unless Regina had planned on purchasing more once they had moved down there.

Regardless, the blonde wasn't at all enthused about packing up and moving even just the few things. She was quite sure those "few" things would total in a large truck load that they would be stuck moving to who only knows where that apartment would be located.

Of course, unless Regina had planned on hiring help. Emma hoped that were the case or she might have a sobbing fit in the corner before toughening up to do just that tedious task.

The blonde grumbled to herself at the thought as she quickly dressed. There was a lot of things to pack up in this house. The two of them had made an attempt to last week so they would have been able to make _some_ dent. But all those boxes full of just things from a few closets and the bathroom downstairs was already pushing Emma towards surrender.

And then she _did_ still have her things. Though, thankfully, during her visits to the Nolan's, she had managed to pack up her room (which wouldn't have been much aside from her mattress and the fixings for it).

"Are you finished, dear?" Regina's voice filtered through Emma's thoughts, forcing the blonde to look up as she exited the bathroom. The blonde nodded with a smile, heading towards the brunette who had donned something. "Are you ready to go?"

"You're not going to shower first?" Emma quirked a brow, drinking up her girlfriend's attire. She had wiped off the remainder of makeup from last night and pulled her hair back into a messy pony tail. Her top was a plain black tee-shirt that Emma had often seen her lounge in or use as a pajama shirt, and she wore jeans- something usually uncommon for the older woman. Though it wasn't exactly excluded from her wardrobe.

It was a rare thing to see the brunette in jeans, especially those tight ones that she wore now. Normally, it was something that she wore around the house if they were doing work, or as something she had quickly put on instead of donning her regular attire to pick something up from the store. Emma wished that Regina had worn those damned things more often because, damn, she looked great in them.

"I'll do that later. I plan on packing some things up while you're gone. No use showering if I'm just going to get dirty again." The brunette pursed her lips at the thought as she stood, wrapping her arms around Emma's waist once she reached the bed.

"Well, you could always shower _while_ getting dirty." Emma couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth and smirked salaciously at her lover who, in return, slapped her shoulder.

"Now, Emma. Stop thinking with your clit and get your shoes on. Your mother called while you were in the shower." She stepped away from the younger woman so she could get Emma's cellphone from the end table where it lie. "I think she's worried that you haven't shown up yet."

"Meh, she should know that I'm a late sleeper." The blonde huffed softly, taking the electronic device from Regina to check for the missed calls. Three of them showed up, all from Mary Margaret. "She called three times?"

"And I believe messaged twice."

Emma looked under her messages. At least the five that she _did_ have weren't all from Mary Margaret, though the less half was from her asking where she was, what she was doing, and when she would be coming to visit. With a soft sigh, the blonde shot off a quick response telling her foster mother that she would be there soon.

She loved that woman to death, but there was something about Mary Margaret that bothered her and that was her tendency to be… annoying. Well, perhaps not exactly "annoying," but she _was_ too concerned for her own good and tended to ask too many questions.

She smiled slightly to herself because, yeah, that was still sweet of the schoolteacher since Emma had never really had anyone care so much for her. It was nice, yet annoying when thrust unto her in such copious amounts. Just as her friends were when it had come to certain things.

The blonde scoffed slightly at her phone as she slipped on a pair of shoes from the closet, Regina hounding her while she stood ready in the doorway. Emma quickly headed towards the brunette and followed her outside, reading the other three messages. Two of which were from Ruby while the third was from David.

It was surprising to see something from David. He rarely ever messaged Emma… If he ever had. Mary Margaret was usually the one wanting to know the blonde's business while her foster father had rarely stepped in.

But there was a message from him.

Anxious about opening it up, Emma had decided to see what the hell Ruby was going on about.

**_Thanks for ditching us. What the hell?_ **

That was the first message, causing the assumption of it being sent before Ruby and Belle had made their way outside to bubble up. The second one, though, was definitely sent after.

**_Girl, we need to be talking about Ms. Mills here. I want to know more before you ditch us for Boston. Belle asked if you're moving in with Graham or going with Regina. WE MISSED TOO MUCH AND WE NEED TO KNOW MORE._ **

Emma shook her head to herself at the message. Of course that was Ruby being her usual self, wanting to stick her nose in other people's business whether they liked it or not. She would no doubt try to squeeze every last juicy detail that Emma wasn't willing to give out. She wouldn't know what to say to her friends about Regina and their relationship. It wasn't high school gossip at all. It wasn't a teenage romance that lasted one week and was replaced the next. The two of them had something real and that something wasn't anything that the blonde was willing to share with her friends.

Not right now, at least, and definitely not all the details. She would only answer a few select questions that they might have and wouldn't splurge on things they didn't plan to obtain knowledge on. She wasn't a giggly, blushing schoolgirl anymore. Hell, she never had been and perhaps that's why this relationship had worked out so damned well.

Smiling to herself, she responded back to the message with a simple _later_ and clicked out. She needed to see what David had said, and when he had said it. If Emma was lucky enough, it would only be an apology for his wife's persistence. If not… who only knows what her foster father had to say. With baited breath, the blonde opened the text message and read over the words displayed on her screen.

**_We need to talk when you get here, Emma. Without Mary Margaret. Maybe we can go test drive that new Bug of yours?_ **

Emma's eyes widened at the message. What did he want to talk about? What was there to talk about? The paranoia bubbling within the blonde seized her in a state of panic. Did he know something?

"Is something wrong, love?" As they slowed to a stop at the sign, Regina frowned towards Emma. "You look…"

"It's nothing." Emma shrugged, shoving her phone back into her pocket. "David just messaged me."

"Oh?" She didn't look as concerned nor worried as Emma had felt. Though she had no reason. She didn't know that David never messaged his daughter. He needn't a reason to. But he did today. And for some reason unknown. Some frightening reason. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to talk with me. Without Mary Margaret, so that means it's something he doesn't want her to know." Emma elaborated, eyes on the road ahead. They were nearing the apartment, and as they grew even closer, her stomach did flips until it hurt.

"What is wrong with that?" Regina innocently asked, turning the next corner that led up to the loft.

Emma swallowed thickly, eyes on the building as they pulled to the curb. "When he doesn't want her to know something, that means he doesn't want to hear her bitch about something. It's usually if I do something really, really bad or…" she shook her head absently because she didn't know what else he would discuss with her when Mary Margaret was intentionally out of sight.

"Oh…" The brunette frowned, eyes faltering to the restless hands on her younger lover's lap. "What do you think he wants to talk to you about?"

"I… I don't know. I guess I'll just have to find out." Emma sighed softly, her fingers fighting each other in her nervousness because no, she didn't know, and she was scared shitless to find out what it would be. Even if it weren't anything bad, she didn't seem to trust it.

"You don't have to go up there if you do not wish to." The older woman broke apart the restless hands, gathering one up in her hand to squeeze it reassuringly. "I won't hesitate to take you back home."

Emma lifted her gaze to the raven haired woman, a gentle tug offered a sweet smile on the corners of her mouth when she met coffee eyes. "Gina…" she whispered, setting her free hand on top of the one that had captured her own. "I need to find out no matter what. It'll kill me if I don't, okay?"

"I understand, honey." Regina nodded slightly, eyes faltering. "I hope that everything will be fine. But if there is any trouble, do not hesitate to call me, alright?"

"I won't. I mean, I will. I'll call you." The blonde leaned forward to brush her lips against the brunette's olive cheek before pulling back. She gently shook her hands from Regina's grip to unbuckle her seat belt, eyes quickly glancing behind her to gaze at the window to the Nolan's loft. She swore someone was watching her, she couldn't shake that feeling. But when she tried to search for a silhouette as suspect, there wasn't a thing there.

"Perfect. I'll miss you, Emma." Regina hummed, bringing her freed hand to cup the blonde's cheek.

The blonde turned into the tawny hand, a sweet smile stretched wide across her lips. Somehow, her racing heart had slowed into a perfect, relaxed beat. "I'll miss you too, Gina."

Regina's warmed smiled burned into the blonde's brain, the prior's hand falling away from the latter's cheek. Emma breathed, staring at the older woman for a moment longer before trying to calm herself back down from the sudden rise in her pulse. She forced herself to turn away to reach for the door handle, popping the passenger's side open. She felt a hand on her back, rubbing across her shirt in another suit to calm her.

"Goodbye, Emma." She whispered behind the blonde as the latter had exited the vehicle.

"Bye, Regina." Emma turned, smiling at her as an attempt to prolong the time. But she couldn't stand there and stall forever, so she nodded and shut the door to the Mercedes, soon twirling around towards the tall building.

Inhaling deeply, she pushed forward and opened the lower level door, only to be stopped immediately by David's wide smile and friendly arms.

Emma blinked, momentarily stunned at this gesture as she willed her body to respond by returning the embrace. "What brings you down here?" She asked nervously, sneaking a glance at the reflection in the door's window. Regina had, thankfully, pulled away by then. But that still hadn't mean David didn't see her which brought back the twisting of her insides.

"I need to talk with you and I figured to meet you down here before Mary Margaret knew that you were here… Officially, anyways." His arms dropped to his sides as he looked at her with contemplative eyes. "And I thought that, maybe, I could let you drive me around town in the Bug while we do it."

The friendly smile that he offered had calmed Emma's nerves somewhat. It didn't seem that he was angry at all, though the man could hide it well.

"Okay." She mumbled, eyes moving towards the little yellow vehicle parked across the street.

"Do you want the keys?" David grinned automatically, offering her the keys before heading towards the Bug after she had accepted them. Swallowing, Emma followed behind, nervously toying with the keys in hand.

What the hell did he want to talk about? The blonde had tried not to let the anxiety get to her. She couldn't not when she had to drive.

Quickly, Emma opened the door and dove in, pausing momentarily as she drank up the old car for the very first time.

"Wow…" she breathed in awe, eyes moving over every piece of the upholstery that it held. "It's beautiful."

"I knew that you'd like it." He smiled warmly, watching the excited look on his daughter's face. "You do, right?"

"Hell yeah!" The sudden excitement had partially eased the growing worry within her. She quickly followed as David had and clicked on her seat belt.

"Are you ready?" He chuckled, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

The blonde merely nodded, more excited than not to drive _her_ car. It wasn't exactly new or fancy, but neither were most things in her life. She didn't mind it one bit, either, because it was _something_ , and that something meant that someone had put consideration into it for her. And that was enough for Emma.

Humming to herself, she inserted the key into the ignition and turned it on. The engine roared to life, the sound echoing like the perfect melody in the blonde's ears. Her mirth grew at the gentle hum, the reality washing upon her like a tidal wave. She had driven David's truck before, and that was about it. She knew what to do, or at least a comfortable enough amount to get around town.

It was the other reality of having to drive it to Boston that terrified her. She wasn't exactly comfortable with going those kinds of speeds just yet, especially for that long of a distance.

Putting her foot on the brake, she shifted gears into drive and started to carefully pull away from the curb. Her heart rate increased dramatically. She knew as soon as she was on that road, David would start talking. About what, she had no idea. Hopefully he would only be curious about getting her license before she left and nothing else. Perhaps those would be his implications. He was taking her out for a drive, after all.

As she came to a stop at the end of the street, she turned a curious gaze to her foster father. The man hadn't said a word just yet as he remained silent, staring out at the street in front of them. As Emma had observed him closer, he almost looked as if he were thinking hard about something. Almost as if he were contemplating on how to start.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Emma initiated the conversation with her inquiry, pulling from the stop sign to head forward to no particular destination.

David answered the question in silence, leaving Emma to chance another glance at him. The man looked slightly uncomfortable now. He sat with his hands on his lap, slightly dancing upon his thigh in a gesture that Emma was wary to assume.

After a prolonged silence, Emma had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to speak and continued onward, smoothly turning the next corner that lead to the main street. His quietness was bothering her greatly. Surely David wouldn't be so hesitant if he had wanted to speak about what Emma had previously thought. He wouldn't get this caught up over a license, right?

But what he had finally said had answered her question, right in the middle of Main Street.

"I saw you and Regina."

Emma's foot slammed on the break, uncaring of any cars behind her once those words had processed.

He did _what_ now? Her heart was somewhere in her throat as she tried to regain control with little lick. The little Bug putted down the street after the blaring of angry horns behind her had sounded.

"You… what? When?" She furrowed her brows as she had tried to act nonchalant, the words that had been caught in her throat finally escaped into a messy case of verbal diarrhea. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Emma, don't you play dumb with me." David's voice was _that_ kind of stern that Emma didn't argue with. "Pull over."

"Yeah…" The blonde willingly obliged as she pulled into an empty parking lot. Swallowing thickly at the newest revelation, she put the vehicle into park and turned it off. Her eyes caught the reflection of herself in the mirror as she readied to turn her gaze to her foster father. For a moment, she mistook herself for a ghost. She sure as hell was as pale as one.

"Last night, Emma. I had to patrol the school grounds and…" He trailed off, evidently becoming more uncomfortable with the subject at hand. "And I saw you… with Regina while you two were-"

Emma held her hand up to stop him, yelping in protest. Her once drained cheeks were now once again full of blood, warming her face quickly. "I get it! I was there!"

"Yes, you were, and that's what I wanted to talk about. Emma, what's going on?" He didn't sound too particularly angry, instead, most of his emotion lie with mortification over what he had seen.

The blonde's gaze dropped to her lap, unsure of how she should answer that very question. It was terribly obvious that he knew that had happened. What more should she say? He was the sheriff. If he found out that their relationship had extended before just that one night, what would he do? The two of them weren't exactly doing something that was legal. Regina would pay the mighty price of it all.

Emma was certain of David's opinion on this. The look on his face hadn't told much. He neither looked angry nor supporting. Just… indifferent.

Emma frowned to herself. She didn't want to ruin her relationship with the older brunette. The hell that would break loose if something were to happen felt as if it would be monstrous. Emma would be stuck in the middle of it, after all.

"Emma, I understand your hesitation." David finally spoke after a few minutes of silence, his hand finding her arm. "I promise you this, Emma. I promise you that I won't let anything bad happen to either one of you if you give me the truth."

Emma's forest gaze fell to the masculine hand on her arm. Her heart stuttered. Should she trust to confide in this man about her relationship with Regina? David had never broken his promises to her before and if he had ensured this great of one…

"I… What do _you_ think is going on?" She queried quietly, eyes rising to meet his pale blue hues.

"I don't know, Emma. That's why I'm asking you." He paused for a moment as if he noted the dubious look that was offered. "Mary Margaret doesn't know and she doesn't have to know."

"Do you know how hard this is?" Emma pressed her back into the driver's seat, the lack of food hadn't helped her aching stomach from giving a grumble.

"I can understand that it would be. What I saw you share with Regina-…"

"That's it. You don't know what I share with her. It's more than just a kiss." Emma mumbled the words, half hoping that he hadn't heart. But with her luck, he had, and made a comment over it as well.

"Then tell me, Emma. Why not make me understand? Has this been… going on longer than just last night?" He curiously asked, no harm in the question.

Emma sighed softly, her heart sinking to the digestive organ below it. "You know, you never asked where I was staying. You just accepted it."

"Emma, what does that have to do with-" Then his words cut off, almost in a comical way that matched his face. He just stared at her. "Are you living with her?"

"Where else would I go?" Emma didn't deny the inquiry, leaving it open with a question of her own.

This made the man pause as the reality of Emma's open question soaked in, striking him like a rock. David looked up at his daughter, lips parted in shock. This wasn't exactly something he had been planning to hear.

"How… long?" His brows furrowed, scrunching together as he tried to piece his scattered thoughts. "How long has this been going on, Emma?"

Emma frowned slightly, fingers plucking at a string on her jeans. When she didn't seem to respond to her foster father's question, he inquired further. "Is this why you… told us that on New Year's?"

"Yes! Why is it such a big deal? I just wish you wouldn't bother me about it." The blonde snapped, glaring at the man with the attitude of her own age before realizing what she had done. She sighed softly, mumbling an apology under her breath. "I don't… I don't feel comfortable talking about this."

"Okay." David nodded, the hand on her arm had moved up to gently rub her back in a reassuring manner. "I promise, Emma, that I will not judge you or Regina. Alright? I will look the other way. I won't tell anyone."

"Is that why you didn't want to talk with Mary Margaret about this?" Emma asked quietly, her frazzled nerves relaxing into a more comfortable state. David wasn't a bad man. He didn't go back on his word. Maybe he would be a good ally in this… Especially if anything ever happened with Cora.

"Could you even _imagine_ her if she knew?" He let out a strained laugh, shaking his head.

Emma nodded at that because, yes, she could and it wouldn't be pretty. Mary Margaret would shit out a cow and enough bricks to build it a barn if she ever knew anything that was going on between Regina and the blonde. That's where David was the cooler parent. He wasn't as optimistic as his wife nor as reactant as she was when it came to the smallest of things.

"I can and it would be ugly." Emma muttered, sliding down in the seat. "I'm glad you're cool about this. I mean, you are, right?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, honestly." David sighed, looking at his daughter. "But as long as you're happy. You are, right?"

The blonde chuckled nodded. "Yeah, I am. It's the happiest I've been. I have you guys, Ruby and Belle, and… And I have someone that I love." Emma closed her eyes, an absent smile on her face as she thought of that very someone. Raven hair, olive skin, and a killer smile curved to murder.

"… You love her?"

The three words clung in the air like a rancid stench stuck in an airless room. Emma swallowed. She didn't know what he thought their relationship was like, but apparently he hadn't thought it to be that serious. The way he looked at her proved just that.

"Yes."

"Oh," he slowly nodded, a gentle grin curving his lips. "So you're in love?"

"And it's beautifully tragic, so I have discovered. "She hummed, leaning into her father, not exactly denying the question. After all, she _had_ so blatantly stated it.

"It is, Emma. It's tough." David rumbled, his hand moving up to ruffle the hair on top of her head. This earned a soft growl, though she didn't make a move because she kinda did like it and being messed with wasn't so bad when it was innocent.

"Yeah…" She frowned, taking the words to heart. It certainly was touch and whatever heartache she had faced when she and Regina had fought was one of the worst kinds of pain she could ever feel.

The two of them sat quietly after that, letting the conversation at hand sink in. It felt as if it were still stuck on the surface, feeling almost surreal. Emma had never imagined that her parents would ever come to this knowledge. Of course, it was illogical when they few older and wiser of the situation. She wouldn't have a problem telling them as she aged and their relationship less peculiar.

But it was all sorts of fucked up now. It was the day after she had graduated high school and she had been seeing Regina prior to that. No one was ever supposed to have known about their secret relationship. But, somehow, they had worked their way into the protective shell they had distributed and spilled what was held within. Although, the two of them weren't exactly subtle about their relationship. Obviously considering the current circumstances.

They were wearing their stay here now and fortunately they were feeling away from any potential danger within the small town. Neither she nor Regina felt comfortable yet with exposing the relationship to the small population, and they had every right to be. It wasn't exactly safe for it being so close to the end of the school year. And even beyond that yet, the effects weren't particularly desirable.

That was one of the reasons Boston sounded like heaven. They were able to roam freely without worry of being caught. They could flaunt their love for each other if they wished without the immediate consequences. They would actually be able to enjoy a meal together at a restaurant without having to sit separate or so awkwardly far away from each other as they had before.

Emma smiled absently to herself, something warmly sweet melting her features. She would be damned if she wasn't able to show off Regina. She loved that woman more than her heart could fathom, something so fierce and deep it seized her every nerve into complete paralysis if she even dared to have a single thought over the matter. The image burned in her brain from earlier still, leaving the gorgeous image imprinted in the forefront of her mind.

There was nothing else that she would rather have there.

"What are you thinking about?" David asked quietly, propping himself up slightly to catch a look at the wide smile on her face.

Emma jumped slightly, warmth rushing to her face. "Regina," she answered honestly, eyes falling to her hands. 'You really do love her, don't you?" He stared baffled as if he hadn't believed it before.

Emma returned with a serious look, almost hurt that he hadn't believed her. But whatever he had noticed on her latest expression had did a complete 180 on his attitude. "And she loves me. Why would we risk everything to be together? It certainly wouldn't be worth a damned thing if we didn't share mutual feelings."

"I understand, Emma. I really do. I love your mother, need I remind you."

"Sometimes I have my concerns, but you always stick by her side." She have him a wry look. "Even when I know that you may disagree given a situation."

That's when David donned a guilty visage, remembering the night that Emma was speaking months ago. "I know… But, that can be a lesson taught. Even if you share a heart with someone, it doesn't mean that you need to share beliefs as well… Or go along with something that may make them happy, but you the opposite."

"I know, David." Emma stated monotonously, the intention of his words registering as more than just advice, reaching far beyond that and into something more personal. They narrated his own lamentations and regrets, leaving her to think. Anyone could screw up and that had proved just that. "I would never let anyone control me."

"I never had that doubt, Emma." Her foster father grinned softly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head before sitting up. "I have an idea…. If you're up for it?"

The blonde quirked a brow at the man beside her, awaiting what he had on his mind. It was a sudden subject changer that had taken her aback. "Depends."

"Why don't we go grab lunch? We can talk some more about this… Don't think that I'm not curious." His light eyes twinkled when he turned them on her. "You look hungry."

"I am. I literally woke up, took a shower, and came here all thanks to Regina 'cause she felt the need to wake me up." She grinned, starting the Bug up once again. Her stomach twisted with a swarm of butterflies as they flapped futilely to escape the rising angst. And flap they did as she pulled from the parking lot with David chuckling awkwardly at her words. That was the reality of it setting in once again. The words were all but foreign to their ears and not quite the most comfortable that they could have been. That was because David didn't want to see what he considered his little girl talking about adult relationships, yet he thirst to gain more knowledge over the most important details.

Emma, on the other hand, had been contempt to keep the relationship with the older woman a secret from her parents and had refrained from saying a word about it. It was odd to even speak of her former teacher as something other than that with them. She couldn't help but to worry about the look in David's eye the more she elaborated, or even just mentioned Regina's name. He almost look disgusted, yet terribly joyful that his daughter was happy.

It was a frightening mixture that yanked Emma's gut right from her body. The man may support it, but his morals were still hesitant when it came to accepting the entire process as his brain worked over what the hell was happening.

And the blonde couldn't blame him if he were feeling like that. The woman that she was dating had an easy ten years on the man. _And Emma was ten years younger than him_.

It was a long, awkward lunch with just that on the mind as Emma elaborated further about her relationship with the older woman. She began from the start, accepting to be blatantly honest with her foster father about how long it had gone on. Of course, she had scraped out a few of the intimate details and a few more in between, but kept to the timeline of the story from their lunches to the kiss in the car and beyond that, extending to Boston and how she had actually went with Regina. She had smiled when showing him the swan pendant given to her as a birthday gift from the brunette woman. After getting a stern look and small lecture about lying from David about the Boston trip, she droned on about some of the more mundane points in her relationship before heading towards the downfall.

Winter formal.

She explained why she was really upset that night, leaving out a few… minor details. Then there hadn't been much else to explain after New Year's. She left out anything that dealt with Cora, way about informing her foster father of the abusive woman. Of course, Emma would have _loved_ to tell him about Regina's mother's misdeeds, but she would rather take that up with Regina before she released any information on the lawyer lady.

And who only knows how the older brunette would act upon the newest revelation of David's fresh knowledge over their relationship. For some reason. The blonde was actually hesitant on telling her, but knew none the wiser to release the information. Perhaps David would play the perfect ally for them. He could become rather useful at some point, not to say that he wasn't worth a penny currently.

"Why am I so oblivious?" he had asked himself when all was finished, staring blankly at his empty plate.

"You aren't. I just hide things well. Especially when it's important to me." Emma reassured as she had offered a smile.

David was even still stunned on their way back to the apartment, looking as if he had witnessed a brutal death. His eyes were glued to the road ahead, remaining nothing but silent the entire ride.

Of course, that was, until they were a block from the apartment and the words from his mouth were almost as if he had asked them on autopilot.

"Have you had sex with her?"

That poor Bug couldn't have stopped dead in the middle of the street any faster the way Emma had slammed on the brakes. Wide, green eyes on the man beside her. "Why the hell would you ask me that?"

"Uh…" He looked just as shocked that those very words had left his mouth. "It's a little futile to tell me about the birds and the bees when there is no flower to pollinate… Or should I say bee or bird to pollinate it." Emma snorted with her own self-amusement, earning a strained chuckle from David. "And why would I answer that question willingly?"

But the response must have been the wrong one because he went pale. "Oh my god, you _did_!"

"No!" The blood rushed to Emma's face as fast as it had fled her foster father's.

"… You do know, I _was_ kidding, right?" He coughed, turning red now as he had realized just what the reaction from his daughter had meant. The air felt too thick to breathe.

"Shut up, David. Just shut up." Emma muttered, driving the last few yards to the apartment before attempting to park across from it.

Desperate to get the hell out of the car, Emma quickly turned it off and popped out. David was soon behind her as she made haste to the door, face still florid. "I can't believe you!" She continued to mutter, holding the door open for the blond man.

"I was just kidding, Emma. You're like… My little girl. Why would I even attempt to want to even _think_ about something like that?"

"It's not that I think you're a pervert, David. It's just awkward as hell." The blonde stopped midway up the stairs, turning to look down at him. "That's just… A Mary Margaret question that makes weird tension."

"I know. I know. I'm slightly turning into your mother and I am mortified because of it." He shot her an awkward smile, shrugging. "But when you live with someone long enough."

"Well I'm not wearing pencil skirts or fancy underwear, yet, but beware." Emma joked, making her way up the rest of the stairs and to the green door that bore the number 3.

"… I wasn't meaning literally, but it's nice to know what's in her closet." He stared at the blonde curls in front of him. "Or how you know what she wears under them."

"I think you answered your own question, you smart little cookie." She offered a condescending look to him before opening the door to the loft, immediately being bombarded by Mary Margaret. "Oh, my! Where have you two been? It's been almost three hours since you left, David."

"Sorry, Mary Margaret. I took Emma out to drive the Bug around and we hit Granny's for lunch since she didn't eat. I brought you back a burger." He offered a brown paper bag to his wife who had only stared at it.

"You should tell me these things, David, I was worried sick." Mary Margaret chastised, putting on her stern face.

Emma's brows rose, almost to her hairline at the "oh shit" moment. No wonder David thought it best to keep all this from Mary Margaret. Well, Emma, as well. The little schoolteacher had too much raw emotion within her, and any little thing would set her off. The blonde could only imagine what the brunette would finally burst into a thousand pieces if she were to ever find out.

"Honey," David sighed, taking one of his wife's hands. She attempted to resist, but he only tightened his grip and brought her closer. "I just wanted to spend some time with Emma."

"But-"

"Alone." He enunciated, pulling her completely into her arms as she began to protest. "You get to do girly things all the time."

"I'm sorry, David. I just… worry. And you left without telling me." Mary Margaret lamented into his shirt.

Emma stood behind with a quirk of her brow, watching the two with an amused smile. David gave her a look over his wife who had still clung to him while he rubbed soothing circles to her back.

"Hey, M'n'M, we get to spend all day together. Okay?" Emma finally piped up, taking a step forward. The brunette turned around and nodded, her face florid and her eyes jovial.

"We have so much to do before you leave." She sniffed, disconnecting from her husband's arms to wrap them around her daughter. "So much! Too much… Come on! I wanna see what your father showed you."

Emma's brows flew up once again when the older woman grabbed her arm and started to tug at her. David chuckled at the response, elaborating for his anxious partner.

"I think she wants you to drive the Bug."

"Oh…" Emma mumbled, letting herself be dragged right back outside. As soon as they broke the barrier to the outside world, she blushed. The little yellow car was parked across the street, half of its back end in the middle of the land. She certainly could have done better.

"David! You didn't teach her how to parallel park properly?"

"What- No! I mean… Yes! She still has learning to do…"

The blonde shook her head as the two continued to bicker, even as they entered the Bug.

This was going to be a long day.


	29. The Greater Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As promised, I am putting a heads up warning here. Later in this chapter will be a bit more of the racier stuff. I will put a trigger warning for the use of guns, mild abuse... and death. You are more than welcome to skip over this chapter if you wish, if not, enjoy reading!

Life after that day seemed to fly by faster than the blonde had seemed to anticipate. Her fun summer of freedom was slipping through her fingers as she progressed further into adulthood. And it hadn't helped that she spent those weeks packing up the life that she had slowly blossomed and had become used to so she could bloom in a larger garden as she set out to create a new one. Beautiful and frightening it was to set off into the real world, large and fast paced. Her first steps would be wobbly, no doubt, as a young toddler taking her first steps. But she would grow stronger. She could grow onto the new life as she had with the past one.

She would _flourish_ with Regina by her side, acting as her miracle grow.

That woman was her rock, sticking by her through the ups and downs of her roller coaster life. Even the awkward middle when Emma had admitted to David's knowledge of them with a blurted, "David found out about us."

Regina had turned almost as pale as Emma when the words had registered. The blonde hadn't known if she were going to vomit or faint. But neither had happened. Instead, the brunette had ended up taking a seat on the bed, coffee eyes wide.

"Did you tell him?" She had finally mumbled, voice strained.

"He saw us, and there was no getting around. He knows everything, now." Emma elaborated as she had joined the brunette, sitting both literally and metaphorically on the edge of her seat.

It had taken quite a while for Regina to process this just as David had when Emma had spoken to him. The older woman sat there, leaving the bedroom void of all noises aside from their unsteady breaths. Regina's was quick as anxiety struck, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotion as she had attempted to take in what was told to her. Emma's heart rate had quickened, leaving her almost breathless as she tried to remove herself from the fretful atmosphere that had suddenly gripped her. She had absolutely no idea of how the brunette teacher would even come to terms with this new information, or how she would react towards it.

But then the silence was eventually broken as Regina had grown enough courage to inquire further about the discussion. Emma had warily answered each question, reassuring every so often that David was a trustworthy man and would keep their secret to himself. Regina still hadn't seemed convinced, but she had calmed enough to accept the words for the moment.

Over time, she had become comfortable with David's knowledge and had even embraced it when it came to certain things. Things that Emma had suggested such as David being help when it came to Cora. Though, that had aroused panic within the brunette teacher as she had nearly bit her young lover's head off about telling David.

"He doesn't know!" Emma had flung her hands in the air, eyes wide at the scary vein that popped angrily out of Regina's forehead. "I wasn't going to say anything until I talked to you. I know how he can be and he'd probably hunt her ass down, wherever the hell she is."

"Good." Regina had merely nodded and that had ended the conversation. She had neither said a positive nor negative thing about releasing any new information to Emma's foster father.

Her silence was insinuation enough to keep the blonde quiet for the rest of the night to eventually forget about it.

Emma had forgotten about it, weeks later as the final day of June turned up on their calendar. Her mind was occupied otherwise and the thought of Cora or David had escaped her mind as both she and Regina had prepared for their move to Boston. The house was mostly packed up by then, filled with boxes in empty rooms and the furniture that lay amongst them.

It was almost stressful thinking about all of what was ahead on their agenda. They would have to move every single box that they had packed out into the moving truck along with the select furniture that Regina had planned on bringing with them, and then driving the four or five hours to their new apartment. And even then, they would still have to unload the moving truck to put everything in their new home so they could unpack and organize.

That certainly wasn't something that the blonde was anxious about. Of course, she was more than excited to move to the big city, but the small details were the things she would rather leave out. Why couldn't it have just been as simple as driving up there and being moved into their new apartment?

That was Emma's lazy mind speaking, of course. She had let it guide her throughout most of their packing, only to get her yelled at by Regina to help pack things up. Then as soon as she _did_ start helping again, the brunette would apologize and they had somehow gotten distracted for a few hours until it was too late to do anymore work… Or they hadn't felt like shoving more things in another box.

But, throughout the distractions and procrastinations, they had managed to get everything done and ready for the move. Regina had rented a moving truck to be picked up on the first of July, which would mark the first official day of their moving.

Emma was both excited and dreadful of that day. She would be moving to a whole new city, leaving behind what she had grown so used to. She would be off exploring what the world had to offer, leaving behind the loving foster parents that had taken her in for the few years in her life. She would be leaving the friends that she had made and grown close to, though she would also be moving closer to one.

It was something terrifying, but she had managed to bottle up enough of her emotions to make it through. The blonde wouldn't dare shed a tear on the day she left as she had the day that she had graduated. It was no big deal, was it? She didn't have to show her emotions. She could keep them locked in as she had before. Now, she only hoped that they would obey and stay hidden.

She wouldn't dare break down as she would move each of those boxes from the house. There would be too many people there to witness her weakness and she couldn't have that. But, fortunately as she lay there in bed, that was tomorrow.

The tears in her eyes now would not succeed in breaking through tomorrow. She would spend all of today, _alone_ , ridding herself of those pesky emotions. The blonde thought of that triumphantly as she rolled over, crystalline streams leaking down her cheeks. Thankfully, Regina was currently in the bathroom taking her morning shower. Emma had decided to sleep in longer, though she was unable to. Everything seem to have struck her at once when the brunette disappeared into the other room.

She was at her weakest when she was alone. Every thought, every stupid thing that she did, would bombard her brain, forcing unwanted memories and tearful thoughts to slice her vision. As they did now, dripping from her eyes and onto the pillow underneath her. She remained quiet, though her breath seemed to choke her at the effort to do so.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck!_ " Emma hissed, slamming a fist into the pillow.

Why was this getting to her? She had moved plenty times before. Hell, she had moved from the Nolan's to live with Regina and it hadn't affected her this much… But as she had thought back to that night, she _had_ become weak. She allowed her emotional side to show to the brunette as she lamented into her arms, her sorrow and anger had melted into tearful streams of pain.

Why was it so hard moving when she had bounced from home to home before? It was rare enough staying in one place for a year, and when she had, it wasn't even that bad. She would be dancing on the grave of her former home by now.

It was different this time, she thought. It really was. She felt _loved_ and _wanted_ here. The Nolan's had given her a home instead of just a roof over her head to sleep under. They had showed every kindness that they could muster and made her feel welcome here in this little town.

Ruby, Belle, Graham, and even Killian had welcomed her with open arms. They didn't look at her any differently as the other kids had before. They _smiled_ at her and made an attempt to strike up a conversation with the blonde on her first day entering the new school.

Nothing was fake here. The smiles reached the people's eyes, the emotions they gave her were raw and genuine. They talked to her as if she were an actual human being instead of an abandoned stray.

Those thoughts had only drawn out more tears. Her head pounded. It was true that's why she was so emotional about leaving Storybrooke. This place was her very first home. This was the place that she had felt the most comfortable in. And now she was leaving it all behind.

She knew that she would have had to leave this place eventually. Nothing good lasts forever, or so she had discovered in her life. Everything went away over time and she had never given it a second glance. Why bother when she knew it would never be returned to her.

Coughing slightly, the blonde sniffled and curled into herself, bringing a pillow into her arms. Regina was a good thing. Would she leave too?

No… she couldn't. The brunette was going with her. One good thing was lasting. Would that be enough to keep a higher belief over her previous ones?

"Honey, are you alright?" The familiar melody of her lover's voice lilted before the blonde. Green eyes lifted to see the brunette standing on her own side of the bed, looking down at the small ball of a human, hidden within blankets and pillows.

"Yeah," her voice cracked. If that hadn't given her away, the stains of liquid on her cheeks had.

Regina was on the bed before she could say another word and was soon engulfed in warm, loving arms. The brunette lie next to her, replacing the pillow as she curled against the blonde with a concerned face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Emma sighed, arms wrapping around the brunette as if she were a life preserver. "Everything. Moving. Leaving."

"Oh…" Regina frowned, tawny fingers curling through blonde tangles. The fresh smell of crisp apples permeated the blonde's senses, along with the sweet honeyed scent of the older woman's body wash. Wet droplets of water pelted her every so often from dark locks, hitting her pale skin with cool drips. "Are you stressed over it, my love?"

The blonde shifted, wiping her face on the brunette's terrycloth robe. "No… It's… It's just leaving. You know?" Emma sighed, breathing through the next wave of emotion that threatened to draw from her eyes. After making sure she had swallowed it back down her constricting through, she had spoken again, voice hoarse. "I've left so many times in my life and this must be the hardest. It's like… It's like a regular, normal kid leaving their parents for the first time in their life."

Regina nodded silently, the hand that had been in Emma's hair moved to rub her cheek. "Hey, I know. Perhaps not to the extent that you do, but I know enough. And remember that I am here, Emma, if you need me. Don't be afraid of showing your emotions."

There was a pause in her speech as those gorgeous chestnut eyes disappeared. She leaned forward to press a kiss to Emma's forehead, a sigh soon following. "Bottling them up isn't good. You will merely harm yourself in the process, and possibly others. Longer fumes, bigger explosions."

"I know, Gina bear." The blonde nuzzled into the brunette, face pressing into the older woman's neck. She stay there quietly, enjoying the tender familiarity of Regina as she held her. The emotion that had stirred up within her had quickly dissipated with the new affection, a new emotion replacing it. Her heart swelled in her chest.

This would definitely last. It has this long, so why not longer? It felt as if the two of them were connected by one heart beating in time, never to be separated by any force brought down upon them. They had survived so much and had done everything within their power to stay together through these few months. Was it possible to feel the way that Emma had? To feel as if her life revolved around the brunette that held her? To feel if she had ever gotten separated from the older woman, her life would feel empty? Her heart just a hole in her chest?

"Hey, I love you." Regina rumbled, the words vibrating in her throat which had seemed to tickle the blonde's nose. She made a soft noise and shifted to look into the adoring dark eyes.

"Hey, I love you, too." She responded, a sheepish smile spread across her thin, pink lips.

Regina looked as if she had melted. The grin on her face lilted her lips far enough to reach her eyes, soft and bright. "We should do something. Take our minds off everything. Relax before the big day."

"Do you wanna eat out?" Emma's grinned innocently, held tilting slightly.

"You know that we cannot, Emma." Regina quirked a brow at the young woman, not realizing the innuendo until Emma's grin had turned into a smirk. "Why are you looking at me like-…? Emma Swan!"

The blonde burst into a fit of laughter at the dark pink that had tinted her lover's cheeks, soon turning her entire face red. That little vein popped out once again, both of mortification and slight irritation. "Ooh, _now_ you understand."

"Is that what you want, darling?" The brunette flopped onto her back and pushed herself up to lean against the headboard. "To make love?"

The blonde suddenly turned shy, shrugging as she kept eyes on the brunette through her lashes, a small curve on her lips. "Maybe."

"Then let us start our day off perfectly." Regina hummed, grabbing Emma's face to pull her up for a sweet kiss. The blonde melted into it, pressing herself into the kiss with a delicious moan.

"Okay," she breathed, allowing the brunette to fall on top of her.

The two of them had started off their day perfectly, and started it off they did. It had taken them the rest of the morning, dipping into the early afternoon by the time they had considered themselves worn out for the day. At least enough so they would still be able to do whatever Regina had planned. Or else they would still be upstairs for damn near the rest of the day, exploring each other all over again, and then some.

By three in the afternoon, the two of them had drug themselves out of bed to get ready and clobber down the stairs to continue on with their day, whatever that entailed.

"What are we doing?" Emma had asked once they hit the bottom landing, a brow quirked.

Regina paused and turned around, a mortified smile on her face. "You know what? I forgot."

"You… forgot?"

"I seem to have, yes." The older woman chuckled softly, a hand sliding through her hair. "I cannot seem to think straight after that last round."

"I told you I was talented." Emma's brows waggled playfully as she sidled up to the brunette woman, quite enjoying the sudden memories that flooded her face. "Now, tell me, how many times did you come?"

"Shh!" Regina turned away from the blonde, flustered as she moved towards the front door to grab her purse and the keys. "Can we not talk about that?"

"You can be such a prude, sometimes." The blonde joked, following behind her.

Regina closed up often when it came to things such as that. For some odd reason. She was an open book while they were in bed, or the couch… or the floor… or the wall, or wherever they so happened to land while making love. The older woman would get down and dirty then, but when the mood and glow was gone, she would shell up.

Strange the way that woman worked, but that was one of the reasons why Emma loved her. She was shy, yet outspoken; elegant, yet laid back. A ball of contradiction she was.

"Sorry, Gina."

"It's alright." Regina turned to grab her young lover's hand, tugging her close as they exited the manor. "I was merely kidding."

"Mmmmhm," she wrinkled her nose cutely, giving her a look that told otherwise. "Where are we going, anyways, Ms. Prude?"

"Well, if you're going to continue calling me prude, _you_ will be heading to your parents' house."

"Shutting up." The blonde pursed her lips together, eyes wide.

"That's my good girl." Regina smirked, giving her hand a tight squeeze. "And we shall see where the car takes us."

With those words, Emma rushed towards the vehicle leaving Regina in her wake. She pressed the palms of her hand to the passenger side door, pushing against it. "O Might Mercedes Benz, do show us the enlightened path of our agenda today."

"Emma," Regina laughed, coming up behind her. "You are a –and this is quoting you- 'dork.'"

"Proudly bred and born." The blonde gave her a cheesy smile which earned a firm smack to her ass. She squeaked, smirking when the brunette rounded the car. "Ooh, you're doing _that_ again? Smack me some more, baby."

" _Emma_ ," Regina reprimanded, but the playful roll of her eyes gave her away. She didn't mind. She secretly enjoyed the dirty talk when it extended from the bedroom. Emma grinned at that. Her girlfriend was just as filthy minded as she, though the prior was more closet-bound.

"I ain't done nothin'." The blonde lifted her hands up, smirking as she opened the door to pop in.

"There are so many things wrong with that sentence, Emma. Have I failed as a teacher?"

" _No_ , I'd say you've done rather well." Emma leaned towards the older woman, giving her an innocent look. "Of course."

"Of course." Regina echoed, sticking the key into the ignition.

"Now can you tell me what we're doing?"

"I was planning on heading to the store to pick something up for lunch. Though, I do suppose it will be dinner soon enough." The brunette quirked a brow towards the younger woman next to her. Emma blinked slightly, returning the look with a nod as she absently confirmed her words.

"Would you like to drive to the grocery store?"

"… hell yeah!" The blonde squealed at the sudden inquiry, jumping almost literally into Regina's lap. This earned a soft chuckled as the older woman attempted to exit the vehicle to allow for the blonde to get into her former seat.

Emma was ready in the driver's seat, belt on and foot on peddle by the time that Regina had entered the passenger's seat. She chuckled at her young lover's excitement. The two of them had done this often when they explored around town, and even just as something to pass the time.

Regina had helped teach the blonde how to drive, and along with David's help, Emma was a pro in no time. Unfortunately, the time seemed to be limited when it came to getting the official document so that she would be able to drive legally. There always seemed to be so much free time, yet so little. The year had zoomed by far too quickly while the other students in her school had their driver's licenses and even owned a car of their own. She felt as if she were far behind.

And now she was out of school, without one of those licenses for herself. She owned a car, surprising enough, but had no way of driving it.

"Getting a license is on my bucket list." Emma mumbled to the brunette, putting the Benz in reverse to exit the driveway. "It would be nice to drive. Legally, anyways."

"Oh, yes!" Regina nodded, eyes in the rear-view mirror. "You do have the documents, correct?"

"…documents?" Emma blinked slightly, stopping just before the street as a motorcycle zoomed down the pavement.

"Your birth certificate and social security card. You do have those, correct?" The brunette frowned slightly, eyes no longer on the mirror, instead they were pinned to her blonde counterpart.

"I might. You know… I got tossed around a lot. I'm not sure if I physically ever had them." Sudden panic bubbled up in the blonde. "Mary Margaret and David never said anything about it when I mentioned a license. So, either they do have them or they assume that I do."

"You might have to ask them before we leave, dear." The brunette turned slightly, watching the scenery go by. "Perhaps we could pop over there?"

"Aw, I don't wanna." The blonde pouted childishly. "Can I ask my dad tomorrow? He's coming over to help us, anyways."

"Emma, you have a bad habit of procrastination." Regina clucked. "Just so long as it's before we leave."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to him when we get up, so if he does have it, he can bring it over." Emma sighed slightly, pulling into the grocery store parking lot.

"Emma," the brunette sighed, unbuckling her belt.

Frowning, the blonde set the car into park and turned towards the older woman. "I'm sorry. I just… don't want to worry about that right now. I mean, I know I should but… Ugh! I feel too fucking stressed." Emma turned away, a look of self-disgust on her face. "There's too much going on right now."

"I know, Emma. How do you think I feel?" Regina attempted to give her a reassuring look, a hand gently massaging her shoulder. "Life isn't at its best, but it _will_ get better, I promise you."

"Nothing's _bad_. It's just… stressful with the move. Life is pretty good, but I want to relax. I don't want to worry about anything."

"But that's the life of an adult, Emma. It isn't all fun and games. You have stress and things to worry about every day. It's rare that you get a break." The brunette brought the back of her knuckles up to caress the blonde's cheek, a curve lilting her lips. "But when you do, it's magical."

"I know…" The blonde sighed, head turning into the touch. "I apologize for being a… _baby_."

"Do not apologize. You are fine. It's alright." Regina smiled, leaning in to replace her knuckles with her lips. "Now, I'll be right back, alright? I'm going to grab something for us to eat tonight."

"Mm, like what?" Emma tilted her head, watching as the other party shifted to get out.

"Sandwiches? Perhaps some junky food chips. Some other things that don't require using things that we've packed?" The brunette chuckled, popping open the passenger's door.

"Can we get ice cream?" Emma beamed, bouncing slightly. "We have plastic spoons. We can eat it out of the container."

"… good point. Ice cream is on the list. What kind?" Regina smiled, pausing with one leg out of the car. "Quick before I get mutilated here."

"I can still fuck you if you have one leg."

" _Emma_."

"Cherry nut. I always loved that flavor." The blonde smiled.

"Mm, it's become my favorite as well." The brunette leaned over to give a quick kiss to Emma's cheek before popping out of the car. "I'll be right back."

"Okie dokie!" Emma gave her a sweet grin and watched on as the brunette woman headed into the store. Her eyes absently remained on the entrance as she had waited, her hand reaching to turn on the stereo.

It was usually like this. Either one or the other would go into the store as the other waited, either at home or in the car. It was the safest to play since the grocery was still a public place. That was one thing that the blonde was excited about when it came to the thought of moving to Boston. The two of them would be allowed to go anywhere they wanted, public or not. They could go the store together, eat at restaurants, or even go to recreational places.

Hopefully the upcoming problem of Regina soon being Emma's professor in college wouldn't prevent them from doing those things once again. It shouldn't suit as one since the city was far larger than Storybrooke, right? Oh, dear, did Emma hope so. She would hate to continuously hide their relationship from everyone around them. She wanted to be able to flaunt her Regina around, and have the latter do the same for her. They would flaunt each other.

That would certainly be nice because she absolutely _hated_ waiting outside for Regina to be finished with shopping. So she was currently doing in her predicament, eyes on the door to the store. It sure as hell was boring.

Then that magical brunette woman slipped out the automatic doors to the grocery store with brown, paper bags bundled in her arms. She wore a smile upon coming into eye contact with the blonde who watched every step until she opened the passenger's door.

"I have returned!" She set the bags down on the seat between them before ducking into her seat. "With all the essentials that we will be needing tonight. Prepare for a lazy day, my dear Emma, full of Netflix, snuggling, and a feast."

"Mm! I can't wait!" Emma squeaked, starting the Benz back up so they could do just that.

"Then hurry and get us home." Regina chuckled as the blonde backed out of the parking lot and onto the street. "But not too fast, of course…"

"Yeah," she nodded, pulling up to the stop sign. "I don't think we want that."

Emma tried her best to make haste back to the house, remaining chicken as she drove relatively slow down the streets. She still wasn't too comfortable with driving fast, for a reason. Perhaps it was the undying fear of getting into an accident. Nothing too pleasant, of course.

Regina merely giggled the entire way as she watched Emma, holding onto the steering wheel like an elderly woman who could barely see what was in front of her.

"You are rather adorable when you drive, Emma." Regina couldn't help but to make the comment that had been on the tip of her tongue.

"Oh ha ha." Emma huffed, turning onto their street. "I bet you were like this when you were first learning."

"Alright, alright. You're right." The brunette turned her eyes on Emma. "But we are all wary of driving the first time. It's something we are not used to, but you'll eventually-"

Regina paused in the middle of her sentence as soon as they had pulled into the driveway of their soon-to-be former home, and directly behind a car that hadn't been there when they had left earlier that day. Of course, that was obvious and the assumption of not expecting any guests did not sate the sudden anxiety bubbling in the brunette's stomach.

"Who's that?" Emma was first to speak, breaking the silence that had grown by the time she had turned the engine off.

The older woman merely shrugged, her mocha eyes glued to the deep crimson corvette that harbored the unknown visitor, or so Regina had thought. The teacher was out of the car before her blonde lover could make a remark. She hastily made her way to the expensive vehicle, intent on her confrontation until she had found the driver's seat to be empty. The entire car as desolate, it even appeared to be devoid of any personal items and looked pristine as if a car lot had just dropped it off in front of her house.

But that was the least of Regina's concerns. She wanted to know who this car's own was- and more importantly, where they were. She did a quick once-over of her property by the time Emma popped out of the Benz to join her with the groceries, a frown creasing her face.

"I hope they didn't break into the house." The blonde voiced Regina's worries, her emerald eyes shifting towards the estate as if it were on fire. "We'd have to open a hefty can of whoop-ass on the intruder. I'm sure we can take him down… unless there's more than just one."

"Do not say that…" Regina's voice suddenly dropped to a mere whisper, her person slowly gravitating closer to Emma, a motion of both wanting to protect and be protected.

"There's no one in-" But the brunette's words were cut short when the front door to the manor opened with a small form behind it. Immediately, Regina could feel her blood run cold.

Because that was her mother standing there, giving her a disappointed look.

The older woman was surrounded by an aura of cool. Sinister was the smile on her face as Cora made her way out of the house as if she landed no fault in being there. The lawyer glided like a queen to her daughter, head held high and chocolate eyes burning.

"Regina, darling, it's lovely to see you again."

The former teacher didn't respond, instead she remained silent, watching her mother through careful eyes. Emma tensed in her spot, her own emerald orbs burning with hatred towards their third party.

"Have you not anything to say? That is no way to greet the woman that had given you life." Cora tsked, head shaking when she finally closed the distance between the three of them.

"What are you doing here, mother? I thought you disowned me, or is that just another one of your games?" The hesitant brunette finally spoke, her arms crossing coolly over her chest.

"Oh, but darling, you will _always_ be my daughter. You are the fruit of my womb, are you not?"

"You have no business being here, mother. Leave." Regina snarled, lip curling as she moved towards the front door. Emma followed soon behind her, paper bags in her arms.

"I am hurt, my daughter. Why would you say such cruel things to me?" Cora didn't relent as she merely trailed behind the two of them into the house, and straight to the kitchen.

Regina turned behind Emma to stop her mother, growling her words. "Have I not told you to leave? What is it that you want? Haven't you destroyed everything already?"

"Clearly not if you still plan to move." Cora eyed the boxes stacked up in the corners of the kitchen, a perfect brow arched. "You have done quite a bit with the place since the last time I was here, dear."

"What do you want, mother?" Regina sighed, repeating the question as she turned to help Emma put the groceries away. "I haven't any time for this."

"Regina Mills, look at me when I am speaking to you." Cora frowned with disappointment, merely standing there with her threat clinging in the air. Regina shot her a rebellious look before going back to what she had been doing.

"I am a grown woman." She shooed Emma from the fridge. "Why don't you go see if we have missed anything, dear?"

"But I did that last-"

" _Please_ ," Regina gave her a stern look that held no further argument. Emma nodded quickly and scurried from the kitchen, leaving mother and daughter alone.

Relaxing slightly now that Emma had left them alone, Regina turned to look at her mother. "Answer me, mother. Stop dancing around the subject."

"I thought to stop by before you make the big move, Regina."

"No you didn't." Regina leaned back against the counter, hands gripping the edges.

"Oh, but I did. Life is too short to hold petty grudges and leave loose ends dancing around. It is much, much simpler to tie them up." Cora stepped towards her daughter, standing dangerously close to the woman. "I am dying, my daughter. Wouldn't you prefer to spend the last of my days happy? I know I would. I only have one daughter, after all, and that daughter is you."

"What about Zelena, mother?" Regina hissed, trying so hard not to let those words get to her. She pushed the woman away from her to head across the room. "I know of you two and your _schemes_. Zelena had come here herself to tell me."

"Oh, dear. Had she now?" Cora frowned slightly, though it was all too fake as if she had expected it. "I always knew that girl was weak. That was why I got rid of her."

"Bullshit, Cora. Just leave my house."

"Need I remind you, this is _my_ house." The older brunette trailed behind her daughter, roughly grabbing her arm to force the younger brunette to turn around.

Regina jerked her arm away, taking a step back. "Then keep your house, mother. I don't give a damn, frankly. I'm leaving."

"I do not care about the house, darling." She sighed, the upside down curve of her lips merely deepened at the younger woman's reaction.

"You sure as hell are making a big deal over it, now, aren't you?" The former teacher narrowed her eyes, warily watching her mother take a step towards her.

"I want _you_ , Regina. That is why I made the endeavor to come here. I wanted to see you… Make it all up to you." Cora frowned, a soft sigh falling from her lips. "I know that I haven't been the best mother, my love. But I do try my hardest to be all that I can for you."

Regina's brows furrowed at her mother's words. She was doing it again, she knew it. She knew better than to fall for her mother's manipulative words. But… they sounded just as what she had wanted them to be.

No.

She wasn't going to be an idiot and fall for those honeyed words again. Not again. Not like what had happened last time.

"Darling, do not be hesitant. You know mommy means best." Cora extended a hand, reaching to caress her daughter's cheek.

But Regina rejected it this time, dodging away from the hand that tried to feed her. And that hand _slapped_ her hard across the face as it always had when angered.

"How dare you turn your back on me, Regina? I have done nothing but love you and this is how you repay me?" The lawyer hissed, grabbing her daughter's jaw before the brunette could escape the room.

" _This_ , mother. _This_ is why I reject you and I should have so long ago. Why I had survived this long putting up with the torture you put me through, I will never know." Regina latched onto her mother's wrist, attempting to pull it from its painful grip. But it was to no avail. The woman had grown stronger.

Cora's head tilted, eyes sparkling with hurt. "Is that what you really think?"

"You abuse me, mother. _You abuse me and I am tired of it_."

"Bullshit!" The profanity left her mother's mouth with a painful jerk of the tanned woman's chin, a hand drawing once again to her cheek.

And that's when a third party's voice shouted angrily from the doorway saving the slap for another day, which had left Regina's heart to fall into the pits of her stomach.

"Stop!" Emma was on Cora before Regina could mutter out a protest.

But when the shock had released the brunette teacher back into reality, she was screaming at the two who wrestled around her to stop. It was a futile attempt as they merely continued, Emma knocking Cora back against the counter, only to be reciprocated against the fridge as the brunette pinned her down.

"You have no business butting into our conversation, _Emma_." Cora hissed, tightening her grip on the blonde's upper arms to swing the two of them away from the refrigerator.

"I may not have any business with your conversation, but I won't idly stand by and let you abuse Regina like that, either." Emma's voice was nothing but a deep growl. She attempted to shake the brunette lawyer off her to no avail as she merely swung the duo around the kitchen with Regina still squawking at the two, attempting to follow them around so she could pry her mother away.

"You're just a child, Emma, darling. You do not understand what we adults are doing."

"Like hell I do! I may be young, but I'm not stupid. Its bullshit that you keep doing this to her. I am _sick_ of it. She is a grown fucking woman!" The blonde's words had earned a sharp gasp from Regina's mother, who had immediately pushed the younger woman to the ground.

Emma stared, dazed, up at the oldest woman who merely tsked at her.

"How clumsy you are, blonde. Both physically and mentally." A wicked look ghosted across her features, but had been quickly replaced when her daughter had grabbed a hold of her.

"Stop this, mother."

"Why on earth should I? This insolent blonde has gotten in the way of our relationship, my dear daughter. She is better off… gone." Cora's wicked gaze returned, threatening the blonde in her spot. "Isn't that right?"

"You can take that nice car of yours and drive off a bridge for all I care." Emma muttered, shifting to stand only to be pushed back down by a violent heel. This had caused her to hit the ground hard, face smacking unpleasantly against the tiled floors. "Ah, _fuck!_ "

"Such profanity." Cora smirked her victory at the warm, crimson drops that fell from the young woman's nose. She stood stark and proud for the injury that she had caused, though her daughter had felt differently.

"That is enough, mother! I want you out of my house and out of my life." Regina hissed the familiar words. She had said them so many times, she didn't know whether or not they had any effect anymore.

Her question was answered when Cora turned to look up at her, a simple smile on her face. "Oh, darling, you don't mean that." She cooed, reaching up to caress her daughter's cheeks, heated with rage.

"Don't touch me!" She shooed her mother's hand away, taking a step back with dark eyes on the blonde who held her nose on the floor, watching the scene as if she were prepared to strike at any given moment.

"Don't be that way, darling. You reject me because of _her_." Again, Cora's gaze fell to the blonde, her lip curling in disgust. " _She's_ the reason why you have picked up and changed your mundane lifestyle. Things were perfect the way they were before this… brat came along."

"Excuse the fuck out of me?" Emma angrily queried from her spot, eyes like molten lava. "You're only pissed because you don't have control over her. You're realizing that she's a grownup who can make her own decisions and doesn't need her mother's help anymore. News flash, you crazy old bat."

" _Oh_ , you believe that you can get away with playing _that_ game, Emma?" That voice was cold, and deadly so. Emma would have shit herself if she didn't feel so constipated with the terrified anger consuming her. Cora squat down next to the blonde, who still resided on the floor with her bruising and bloodied nose. A smirk that could have resembled an evil witch's spread wide across her lips. "You see, I wasn't going to resort to this… final plan, here. Shall I call it plan D, K, or M? Oh, does it honestly matter? I do not believe so."

"What… What plan are you talking about?" Emma swallowed thickly, pressing herself up against the counter.

"Mother… Get away from her." Regina's warning voice sounded, but went ignored by the eldest woman as she merely continued to stare soullessly into Emma's eyes.

"Not now, my love. I am having a conversation with your… lover." Her gaze never broke, even as she had addressed her daughter. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. My last resort. You see, you couldn't have just merrily played along and left us alone, now, could you? I was truly hoping that you would not be so insolent, but alas…"

Clucking, the older woman stood, leaving a terrified blonde on the floor. "I must do this. For the sake of us all."

"D-Do what? Cora."

"Mother, what are you doing?" Regina frowned, eyes widening as the brunette lawyer fished for something in her small handbag. The younger brunette took a step back, eyes widening as she noticed a metallic, black object in the shape of a dangerous weapon get plucked from the bag.

Emma squeaked on the floor, scrambling to get away from Cora until that very object was pointed at her, freezing the blonde as if it had controlled the young woman.

"Don't do anything stupid, Cora." Her shellshock voice echoed in the tiled room.

"Oh, I would never be as absent-minded as you are, my young friend." The grin that curled on her lips was almost insane, but still remained griped with reality.

"Gina..." Emma warily chanced a glance to her partner, eyes grasping desperately onto her soul.

 _Oh, God, please call David._ She pleaded silently, hoping that Regina was reading the terrified plea.

Regina immediately left the room, easing the worry rising in the blonde. She must have known. She had to have known. They had come up with a sort of code word for an emergency such as this if they had ever needed David. But how silly would it be to say a random word in a life-threatening position? Of course, the other party would immediately know to call for help if something had gotten too intense.

Therefore, Regina had left to the other room to do just that (well, right outside the door where the blonde was still able to see her). Which had left Emma with Cora. Cora who had a gun. And that gun was pointing at Emma's face.

The blonde could see images of her life seem to flash before her eyes. It was strange, the feeling of it happening as she was so close to death. Her life could be gone at any moment and she had a lot to do with it. She was only eighteen and she still had a full life ahead of her. But that was looking grim with the way the crazed woman in front of her swung that gun around with every threatening word.

Emma's heart pounded heavily in her chest. Her breath was running low. The perspiration on her forehead seemed to slide greedily down her face. This wasn't how she had imagined the end to be. Her girlfriend's psycho mother coming in to take her life because she was selfish and wanted her daughter all to herself. This was some fucked-up television shit happening. Since when did her boring, mundane life become so intense and interesting?

She would laugh right now if that piece of metal wasn't so close to her face.

"I have _dreamed_ of doing this since the very first day that I had ever found out about you. But I knew that my daughter would hate me if anything had ever happened to you." Cora hissed, pressing the front of the weapon to her forehead. "Now you wish you would have just left her when I suggested, don't you? You wouldn't be in this situation. You could be happy. Be with your little diseased flock of homosexual people instead of keeping my daughter on your hell-bound side."

"You're fucked up, you know that?" Emma retorted. Why the hell did she do that? This woman had a gun. And the butt of that gun was used to smack her across the face with a painful crack.

" _Shit_." The blonde moaned, grabbing her jaw. It was a hell of a lot funnier when this happened on the TV.

"You could have had a… _happy_ life, little girl. But you ruined it for yourself. You ruined it for Regina, as well. You ruined it for _me_." Cora inspected the gun, making a click of disgust at something she had spotted on it. She shoved the object in Emma's face to point out a small spot of blood that the blonde could barely make out through her blurry gaze. "See what you do, you insolent girl? You ruin everything good."

" _You_ do that yourself. You didn't have to hit me with your toy." The blonde braved, dropping her crimson-covered hand into her lap. "Like you didn't have to do anything to Regina."

"Oh, but dear, you simply do not understand." The brunette spoke as if she were talking to a small child, each word enunciated. "But, that does not seem to matter any longer. With you out of the picture, I have nothing else to worry about. Isn't that right, my dear daughter?"

But when Cora had looked back to hear a response from her daughter, she was met with silence and an empty room. "Regina?"

"What?" Regina entered the kitchen, looking satisfied with herself. "Are you done playing your games with Emma? Are you going to release my girlfriend, now?"

"What makes you think that I would do something like that, now?" Cora quirked a brow, arms crossing over her chest.

"I don't, mother. Honestly." Regina stepped towards her, eyes focused on the weapon that she had held. But that weapon had moved and pointed right at Emma's face once again, freezing the brunette teacher in her spot. "Mother. Don't you dare."

"Oh, but why not?" Cora quirked a brow, not relenting as she continued to watch her daughter's wary gaze. "With her gone, we could finally be together and I could find you a proper man."

"If you… if you… do that, I would sooner take a bullet in my brain before living under your control, Cora." Regina stumbled over her words, tears gathering quickly in her eyes.

"Is… Is it really that bad, my love? You would rather be dead than have your own mother?" Cora frowned at this, faltering her threatening arm for a moment as she contemplated her daughter's words.

"Yes! Why would I _ever_ want to live with the abuse and the manipulation that you feed me?" Regina dared a few steps towards her mother, eyes falling to the blonde who remained on the floor with a bruised and bloodied face. Her heart fell at the sight, and in that moment, she was ready to pounce on her mother.

If not for the gun that was aimed steadily at Emma once again. "Make one more step and I paint the kitchen with your dyke's brains."

"Mother-"

"Cora Mills, drop the gun." A masculine voice demanded from the doorway.

Emma couldn't have been any more relieved to hear her foster father's voice. She drew her attention away from Cora to look to the saviour of the evening, who stood with his own gun steadied at the lawyer.

"I really wished I wasn't forced to do this." Cora seemed to sigh as she cocked the gun in her hand.

A deafening ring sounded in the room as a gunshot fired.

Regina's heart seemed to collapse, her vision becoming dark as everything played in slow motion. Panicked eyes flew between the three in the room, two standing, the third still on the ground. David stood, blanched, as he realized what the hell just happened. The gun in his hand clattered to the ground as he rushed forward towards the blonde still propped up against the counter.

The brunette's eyes wandered towards her mother who stood there with a devious smirk, the weapon in her hand falling to the ground as well.

"I certainly do hope that you enjoy your new life, my love. There is no going back."

Regina watched as the finality of the words left her mother's mouth before the woman dropped to her knees. A look so terrifying stuck in her eyes as if she were meeting the devil himself, etching horror on her features as she crumpled against the ground with labored breaths.

The brunette teacher's eyes welled with pain as she dove forward to join her mother on the floor, holding the woman in her arms and attempted to add pressure to the wound on her torso.

"Regina, darling." She stared up the woman who held her, frowning slightly at the way the tears seemed to slide easily down her cheeks. "Why do you cry for me?"

"Because you're my mother." Regina's voice cracked. It was true. Cora was her mother.

The brunette had always imagined rejoicing in her mother's death. She had dreamed of it time and time again, jovial of each time that it had flittered through her mind. But the reality of it was quite gripping. She hadn't thought losing her mother would be this painful. Not when it was real.

Because when it was in her fantasy, her mother would always still be there. She would be there, living and breathing, smiling and laughing. Nice or not. She was still there.

But the reality was different now. She wasn't a fantasy. She wasn't dying for the tenth time in one day, no, not anymore. She was dying in real life, and it was terrifying.

Regina could literally _see_ the life start to diminsh from her mother as the blood that once gave her life drained from her body and onto the kitchen floor. It smelled sickening, like metal and death. Her once lively body was growing colder and flush, devoid of the life it had.

She thought she would be glad to see the wicked woman leave this earth. Especially after what she had put Emma through, but that hadn't mattered. This woman- the woman that she was seeing now- that woman was her mother. That woman was the one she saw every day when she was a young girl. A sweet, loving smile and soft, caring eyes.

It was something that she had missed dearly. _This_ was the mother that had seemed to have disappeared so long ago. She had returned, broke through the evilness that had locked her away. Only in death was a person revealed.

"Oh, mother. Why did you do this to yourself?" Regina closed her eyes, holding the smaller brunette closer to her.

"Because I love you, Regina. Everything that I do… I do because I love you." Cora breathed, the words seeming to strain the older woman. "I-I'm sorry that I was never the mother that you wanted me to be."

"Please… don't talk." The younger brunette sniffed, trying to preserve her mother's fading life. She might have been desperate to argue with her mother over the words that she had spoken, wanting all the answers to her questions. But she knew that would never happen. "You need your energy."

"No. I don't. I-I'm dying, Regina. And I would rather tell you… what I have on my… mind rather than… leave this world without confessing." Cora tried to offer a smile to her daughter, though it was hard to keep on her face as she brought an unsteady hand to her face instead. "I have tried so hard to change you, Regina. And it was wrong of me. A-As your mother, I should have accepted who you were, but for some reason in my twisted mind, I thought you were sick…. A-And I was really the one who was sick.

"I tried to force something that you didn't want on you, my daughter, and I cannot express how apologetic I am… If I could go back, I would embrace you instead of throw you out. I would accept that you love this fine, young woman instead of… o-of trying to break you two apart. Sh-she really does make you happy, doesn't she?"

"As anyone could have, mama. I love her more than I could have ever fathomed. I wished you would have given her a chance… B-But why are you saying this now?" The brunette fretted, many more questions rising to the forefront of her mind. Was she actually telling the truth? Or was this just another bait piece to reel Regina in onto her good side before she passed on?

"I should have, my darling." Cora frowned, her eyes batting slightly as she battled to stay conscious. "I can see it, you know?"

"What?" Regina panicked slightly, tapping her mother's cheek to keep her from slipping.

"I can see the way you look at her. That's something special." The lawyer reached up, hand shaking as she attempted to stroke her daughter's cheek. "I was jealous. I-I was jealous of you. I have always dreamed of a true, strong love like you have. I-I'm glad that you found it."

"Me too…" Regina smiled softly, gazing up to the blonde who watched the two with swollen, bloodshot eyes. Emma returned the smile as she leaned heavily into her foster father.

"Re-Regina, darling," the eldest brunette spoke from her spot, her voice becoming alarmingly weak. "In my purse is everything. The keys to my condo in New York City and to the corvette. A-and the other cars. I want you to have them."

"Mother…"

"You're the only one in my will, my love. It's all yours…" She smiled weakly, leaning up to kiss her daughter's cheek. "Just remember that I love you, and I always have."

"I love you, too, mama…" Regina squeaked softly, holding her mother a little tighter. But she was fading, her body becoming heavy as it lay in her daughter's arms. The brunette teacher frowned when her mother gave her one last smile, the sparkling light in her eyes seeming to fade out into a dark void.

And then she was still. The last breath escaped her as happy as it could have been. Regina's eyes widened as the reality sunk in further. Her mother was dead.

 _Dead_.

"Mama?" Regina futilely tried to shake that woman awake, even though she knew that she was already gone. But she couldn't dare to believe this woman, who had both loved and tortured her was gone. Life without the worried thoughts of Cora would seem almost strange. It was a hole in her life at this point.

What would she do?

"Regina, she's gone." David kindly whispered, even though he knew that she knew it. But that hadn't stopped her from holding that damned woman closer to her, shedding tears that should have never been dealt.

"Gina…" Emma attempted to move to comfort the older woman over her loss, but David had held her back. She needed her time, he was suggesting, and the blonde knew that was right. Though that didn't sate the feeling to hold Regina tightly in her arms and kiss her until the pain went away.

Could the pain ever go away?

"You _killed_ her! You killed my mother!" Regina didn't give a hesitant thought as she gently urged her mother from her lap and launched towards David who had quickly dodged her attempted attack. "You murderer!"

"Regina!" David picked himself up with his hands up in surrender. "Regina, calm down."

"Don't you tell me to calm down!" The brunette was _furious_ as she screamed her pain at the main with wide eyes, the vein on her forehead a scary shade of popped out.

Emma didn't know whether to stop her girlfriend from beating the shit out of her foster father or just stay out of it. She wouldn't do anything crazy, would she? Oh, god, she hoped not. Because there was a dead body on the floor in front of her with a rather large puddle of blood that was slowly moving towards her and she felt as if she couldn't move. She was in a state of shock as she watched Regina scream profanities at David, most of them seeming to be in another language.

Spanish? Since when did Regina speak Spanish?

"Please, _Regina_." The sheriff's deep voice echoed as he allowed the former teacher to back him up against the far kitchen wall. "Don't do anything you might regret?"

"What the hell could I do?" Regina hissed with her hands balled up in fists as if she were ready to strike, but the expression on her face told otherwise. Aside from the extreme anger burning holes in her eyes, she had a deep sorrow welling on the surface. That hadn't stopped the beating of her fists striking weakly against his chest to vent whatever emotion she had built up.

"Regina, listen to me. I had no choice." David seized the brunette's wrists, forcing her to cease her futile attempts. She struggled for but a moment before giving in, too exhausted to fight for her freedom.

"You didn't have to shoot her." Her voice had weakened slightly with the tears that built in her eyes, threatening to burst through the walls.

"Listen to me, Regina." He repeated. "If I didn't do that, it would be Emma dead on that floor. Would you have rather had her be dead?"

Regina remained silent, blurry gaze on the ground while she battled her emotions to keep from crying. But it didn't happen as she thought of what he said, because it was true. If he hadn't shot her mother, Cora would have killed Emma. That sweet, blonde girl who sat helpless on the floor in a situation she should have never been in.

"Regina?"

"No!" She sobbed, her entire body shaking as it racked over her. If that were Emma on the floor in the puddle of blood, cold and lifeless, she would have taken one of those guns and joined her young lover. In this life, anymore, Emma's beautiful smile and warm, loving personality was all that she woke up for. Her life had become rather moot until that little blonde spiced up her life and if she were to lose her…

But she didn't have to think about that because Emma was alive. She was breathing. She was still here.

That hadn't stopped the tears from coming. They were tears for her mother and the pain that she had enforced to her throughout her life, and they were tears of anger and all the bullshit that woman had put her through. The arms around her weren't familiar and felt far too odd, too strong and masculine. But she didn't reject them. They were something comforting. They kept her in place when all she wanted to do was run away.

"Regina… I know that you may _never_ forgive me for this and I expect that…." David began, a hand rubbing her back in soothing circles. "I-I didn't want to do this. I really didn't… I haven't…" He choked, and when he did, it hit Regina like a brick. He had taken someone's life, and it wasn't exactly intentionally. He was only trying to save his own daughter's life. Cora was in the way. She was the risk. And now she was dead by his hand.

David would have to live with the guilt of that for the rest of his life.

There was a third pair of arms that wrapped around the two of them, warm and familiar to Regina as she recognized it to be Emma. The blonde still smelled of her sweet bath soap, yet contained the metallic scent of blood that had her stomach turning.

"I'm so sorry…" Emma's words were strained. "It's all my fault, isn't it?"

"No. No…" Regina frowned at the blonde's words, her hoarse voice was a whisper. She reached up to gently stroke her partner's pale cheek after turning slightly away from David, awkwardly since she was sandwiched between the two. "None of this is your fault, my love. If it's anyone's, it's mine. I should have never let her in my house."

But the blonde's eyes welled with fresh tears, her head shaking. "It's mine…"

"Emma, honey, no it isn't." That was David reassuring his daughter, a gentle hand sliding through her blonde locks. "None of this is anyone's fault. Everything happened through a fault in the system and didn't end out the way we expected."

"What system?" Emma's brows narrowed, but Regina shook her head.

"There is no system. Cora brought this upon herself." The brunette woman stepped away from the two and turned towards the deceased lawyer on the floor, cringing at the sight. Inhaling deeply, Regina made her way to her mother with a shaky breath. "We need to… to call someone. An ambulance. Please…."

"Uh, yes, of course. I was going to do that." David nodded from his corner and pulled his phone out to do just that.

Emma, on the other hand, stood next to him with her eyes on Regina and Cora. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to look away. She had seen some crazy shit in her day, but she'd have to say this was her first time seeing a dead body. Well, a real one, anyways.

It wasn't like anything she had ever seen before. Cora looked exactly the same, save for the blood and being a bit paler than usual. Okay, she was _a lot_ paler. Shuddering, the blonde quickly averted her gaze. It seemed surreal, but too real at the same time.

"Alright, an ambulance is on the way. I explained the situation somewhat. Since I'm the police, I'll be filling out a report on…" But he trailed off, realizing his words were just a futile filler.

"Can I be alone until they come, please?" Regina quietly asked, not lifting her head from the spot in which she remained. She was sitting on her legs, her mother on the floor in front of her, rearranged into a more peaceful position. The younger brunette was mostly covered in blood by now, though she didn't seem to mind. She looked completely numb.

"Will you be alright, Gina?" Emma quietly asked once her foster father, pausing in the doorway.

Regina remained silence, leaving Emma to take that as a part of the older woman's desire to be left alone. Out of respect, she turned to leave only to be stopped by the soft voice of her lover.

"I'm not alright currently, but I will be." When the blonde turned back around, she was met with the brunette's dull, brown eyes. "You know, Emma?"

"Hm, yes?"

"I…" She trailed off, frowning slightly before merely shaking her head and dropping it back down. "Never mind."

"O-Oh, alright…" The blonde frowned herself, not pressing for an answer as she took a step back. "I'll leave you alone, okay?"

"Before you go, Emma," Regina spoke up once again, pushing herself up from the floor. When the blonde turned around this time, she felt an uneasiness settle in the pit of her stomach. Dear God that was a lot of blood.

"Yes?"

"I… uh…" She slowly walked towards the blonde, eyes slightly to the ground. "I want to apologize that you had to witness all of this. Baby, I am so sorry that you had to… Th-that you-" But the words got lost when the tears choked them from her, freezing the older woman in her spot. She shook her head, face twisted in a pain that couldn't be patched.

"Regina…" Emma frowned at the conflicted woman, rushing towards her to engulf the older woman in her arms. "It's okay…"

"You shouldn't have had to go through this… You never signed up for this bull-"

"Maybe not, but I got you, didn't I? It's worth it." Emma reassured, squeezing the older woman tighter in her arms. Her body shuddered through the blonde's own. "And we'll survive through this. I'll be right here for you, and you here for me."

"Emma…" The brunette inhaled, breath shaky as she lay her head against her lover's shoulder. "You're too sweet."

The blonde shrugged slightly, resting her chin atop the older woman's head. The two of them stand there, holding each other close as if they were the last two people on earth. What else was there to hold onto when everything else had fallen so long ago? Finding something sturdy in this lifetime was rather rare anymore, and when you came by it, you grasped the opportunity to cling onto it.

And so the blonde had, and greedily so. Regina was her sturdy rock on the unstable cliff. She was reliable. She would save her. Emma hoped that she would be able to be the same for the brunette, because if not, what was she worth?

"Hey, the ambulance is here." David interrupted the two of them, stopping in the doorway with a solemn expression.

"Thank you, David." Regina lifted her gaze to the man in the doorway, giving him a slight nod before pulling away from Emma. "Might you let them in, please?"

"Of course." He quickly nodded before heading back off once again, leaving the two alone.

"Regina?" Emma paused before the brunette woman could head off, the reality of the situation still on the surface on her mind. It was there, but not really.

"Yes, dear?" She tilted her head with a frown, or had that frown been there?

Emma frowned herself, hesitant on her next words. "Do… Do you want to stay here for a while longer?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Regina quirked a brow, moving towards the island. "Are you speaking of tonight, or?"

"Do you still want to go ahead and move to Boston tomorrow? After what happened tonight." She looked to her hands for a moment, the words awkwardly spilling from her mouth.

"Honestly, Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to get the hell out of here. I would leave tonight, but… I've got cleaning up to do." The brunette sighed softly, eyes faltering. "And… damned if I don't need a drink."

"Your special apple cider?" Emma tilted her head, reaching out to gather up one of the older woman's hands. She nodded quietly in response, olive fingers lacing with the ivory ones.

"These next few days are going to be long." Regina finally responded, eyes on the paramedics as they rushed in to gather her mother up on the gurney.

Long, stressful, and painful days they would be.


	30. Last Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And this is the final chapter of the teacher/student story arc! I really do appreciate your sticking with me, all of you! I am elated that you had taken the time to read (and review) the entirety of this big, honking thing. I will honestly miss writing this storyline, it has grown on me so much. But all good things must eventually come to an end (ever about a year later).
> 
> Again, thank you kindly for reading and I hope you enjoy the last scraps that I have for you! Please review and tell me your thoughts on it. I know a few of you had suggested I create something beyond this, but I cannot promise that I will continue. As much as I love the storyline and the characters within it, I can't be sure that I will be dedicated enough to continue on. Maybe I will think about it, but I make no promises. What would you suggest?

It was better in the morning. Everything didn't seem like it would be long nor stressful. Though the pain still had a planted seed within her heart, ever growing and ever tightening. But waking up to a new dawn meant a new day. A new day that would urge time forward and leave tomorrow in the past.

Though waking up to this new day felt as if nothing had ever changed. Regina opened her eyes believing that she wasn't on her hands and knees in the kitchen last night, cleansing every crack from the tiles of the coagulated blood that stuck to them. For all that she knew that ruthless woman was still alive and planning on hunting her down in Boston to rip apart the new life she was planning to create.

"Regina?" Emma's quiet whisper sounded from beside the older woman. "You up?"

"Yes," she replied quietly, rolling over to face the blonde woman next to her, and it wasn't until then that she had realized how _exhausted_ she felt. And she pondered for a moment to figure out the reason why. Then it hit her. Whatever she had believed to be a previous dream was all but reality.

"Are you going to be alright?" The blonde queried, immediately noticing the sudden change in expression on the older woman's face.

Regina merely nodded in response, a sigh falling from her lips. Of course she was going to be fine. What use was there mourning over something that would never return? That woman was nothing but cruel to her during her life. Shouldn't that have been all the more reason to nonchalantly pass her death off as nothing?

No, because the pain was still there.

But life moved on beyond death. No matter what she felt, she needed to press on. She couldn't postpone their move any more than she already had. The two of them were supposed to have been in Boston by this time last month, but problems with the apartment had gone awry and would have basically left them homeless until the start of _this_ month.

She knew that Emma was kneading the floor with anxious feet to uproot from this town and plant herself somewhere far larger. Regina was feeling just about the same. She felt like a plant herself, growing as big as she could in this small town and wouldn't expand any more unless she transferred to a larger pot. The two of them needed that change to blossom to their fullest potential and show off their real beauty.

"Okay…" Emma nodded finally, her arms wrapping tightly around the brunette woman to pull her closer.

A faint smile ghosted across Regina's features, mocha eyes gazing up to the younger woman that held her. "I said what I meant last night, Emma." She murmured softly and snuggled into the warmth. "I want to get out of this house. It's… I don't think I can stay here any longer after what had happened."

"But you _will_ be alright to move? I mean… David, Ruby, Belle, and I can just do the moving stuff. And Killian if he's coming to help. You don't have to do anything. You can be the director." She offered a sweet smile to the older woman, though it was gently rejected with a slight shake of her head.

"I will be alright, honey." The brunette offered a grin of her own. "Right now, I can't feel much of anything. I spent my tears last night for that woman and I have no more to cash in."

"I'm only concerned for your health, Gina…" Emma wrapped a leg around the older woman and kissed the top of her head. "She was your mother, after all."

"I would rather not dwell on it."

"Of course." The blonde nodded slightly, a sigh falling from her lips. "To get off the subject, then, when would you like to start our glorious day?"

"In a few minutes you can call the volunteers… or people you bribed, what have you." Regina tried for a smile which had immediately earned another in response. Her body relaxed finally after being tense for so long, allowing her to melt against the mattress and _breathe_.

"Good, because I like staying in bed with you."

The brunette hummed softly at those words and nodded, taking them to heart. She quite enjoyed staying in bed with Emma, as well. It was like a relaxing, warm bath. After a long, stressful day, she could always look forward to it because it would, no doubt, take away all worries and pain. And it really did. Even now, she felt as if she could take on the world, or would go down swinging.

"Starting off the day like this is…" Regina frowned slightly, not quite being able to place the word that she had intended to describe it as. It was energizing, but not quite as much as other things might be. Though it was more…

"Motivating?" Emma offered as she combed her fingers through dark, raven locks.

"Exactly correct."

This had seemed to baffle the blonde and stopped the little combs that she made through her lover's hair. "How?"

"It's… like a bath, shall I say. It's rather soothing and calms your nerves. And…" She shrugged slightly, pushing herself up against the headboard with a sigh. "It makes me forget about things, for at least a little while and remember larger things that need to be done."

"… weirdo." The little blonde joked as she moved up with the older woman, flipping the covers away. Unfortunately that had brought an unwanted draft of air when the warmth was released into the air and stripped them of the heat that had gathered. Emma shivered from the sudden lack of heat, allowing for it to infuse within her as a better wake-up call.

"Aren't you the nice one this morning?" Regina light heartedly chimed, flicking a piece of the blonde's hair from her shoulder.

"But you love me anyways?" Emma offered an innocent smile. "Right?"

This had earned a rather sadistic smile from the brunette, her fingers soon attaching themselves to the blonde's sides in a frenzy attempt to tickle the hell out of her. Emma squealed in response and squirmed desperately to get away from those taunting fingers but Regina wasn't having it.

"Stop, please!" Emma half laughed, half cried, the sensation was overwhelming. Her stomach hurt from laughing and her sides felt so unpleasantly tingly when the brunette refused to obey. Instead of flapping at her to stop, she attempted to crawl away from those crazy little fingers but that was proven to be futile.

Regina, laughing at her lover's expense, finally ceased her torturous tickles to wrap her arms tightly around young woman before her. And she didn't let go.

"I do," she breathed, chin resting on top of Emma's head.

"You do what?" The blonde puffed out a breath of air, trying to regain what was lost from her lungs as she pondered over what the other woman had meant. Somehow she had forgotten the previous conversation before the tickle war and couldn't remember what had been said.

"I do love you, even if you are the not-so-nice one this morning." The brunette answered and dropped her head next to Emma's, turning her head to give the latter a kiss on the cheek.

" _Oh_ , well, that's good to know."

Emma smiled at the sweet gesture and leaned back in the brunette's arms. Perhaps she really _did_ get what Regina had meant by saying snuggling in bed was equal to soaking in a hot bath. It was relaxing, lying here with the woman in which she shared it with. It was much like the bath, anyhow, sans the water and soaps. The blankets were warm, and if even not, Regina was herself. They had each other to keep warm and shielded from the cold, and _that_ made the blonde smile even wider.

She wondered what the next bedroom would be like at the apartment they were moving to. Would it be as big? Bigger? Or much smaller, cozier than this? Was there going to be a bathroom attached to it? Those questions still burned in the blonde's brain and even more now. They were moving there _today_.

This would be the last day that they would be spending in this house. The last day that they would be cuddling up in bed together in _this_ room. The room that had brought the blonde so many memories. The house itself was filled with wondrous memories that Emma would never forget.

She and Regina had spent their first "date" here. The delicious lasagna that pissed the brunette off from their intimate moment together and the disgusting movie they watched after that had Regina asleep in her lap. It was sweet and innocent with the awkward and unexpressed emotions that they had for each other. The ones that were still developing and had rode out to see where they had gone.

And, boy, had they gone far? At the beginning of her senior year, Emma had never imagined that she would ever be where she was now. Of course, she had seen herself moving to Boston to attend the college she had been hoping to get into. But she would be moving in with Graham and his not-so-lovely apartment instead of moving _with_ Regina.

To think of would have happened if she never met the brunette woman, or at least had never spent the time to get to know the teacher over her "crush." A hell of a lot wouldn't have happened if that were true. She sure wouldn't have the memories of Regina's batshit family barging in every couple months with scripts from a soap opera. She wouldn't have been nearly killed by Cora, either, if that had happened.

In fact, she would have been clueless to what the brunette English teacher had gone through behind closed doors. And who would have known what the poor woman would be suffering if Emma hadn't entered her life. Or perhaps what she _wouldn't_ have had to suffer.

Thinking back on it, Emma had suspected that it was mostly her fault that those horrible things had happened to the older woman. She was, after all, the reason for them. She was the reason for the lies that Regina had told her mother… And more than that, as well, for she was the reason Cora had come to visit out of the blue after years of staying absent from her daughter's life.

It was also Emma's fault that she was dead.

The blonde frowned. Perhaps it would have been better not to have interfered with Regina's life. She would have been better off without the blonde, but she was sure the brunette would no doubt protest if she were to bring it up. She knew how that woman worked. She could hear her now, "Don't you worry about the 'could haves' and 'should haves' of life. That point of our lives is in the past and simply cannot be helped. Worry about today and the future. Not your regrets. Dwelling is unhealthy."

Emma leaned into the brunette as she thought over the words that Regina had told her before. At some point, she _did_ say something about the past and how she had wished to change it for a different outcome, but the brunette had reassured that it didn't matter. It was true. Dwelling on something that could never be changed was futile. Why exaggerate alternate outcomes when they could not be applied?

Regina was correct with her advice. Anyways, why would Emma want to change _this_? She was comfortably warm in her lover's arms, an angel's touch that brought her straight to heaven. How could she wish for anything different than this? She would survive the insane encounters with Cora and Zelena over again if she could have this. She would hide her relationship if need be, so long as she could curl in the brunette's arms by the end of the day.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The brunette's familiar voice rang through Emma's ears and she smiled. Certainly that was never anything she could tire of hearing.

"I was just thinking this is going to be the last day we spend in this room together." The blonde shifted to make contact with the raven haired woman who had ran a gentle finger over her cheek.

"It'll be strange. I haven't lived anywhere else in… a decade or more." Regina furrowed her brows for a moment as she thought up the math before nodding, her finger sliding back down to hook under her girlfriend's chin. "But let's think of it as a new life where we can create new memories. Fresh memories."

"And we won't have to hide anymore." Emma's words were a mere purr from her mouth, her head turning the way it was urged by that digit. Warm, brown eyes met soft, green instantly, a sudden emotion washing over the blonde. She felt… _warm_.

"That's true, my love." The brunette murmured, leaning in to press a sweet little kiss to the point of the younger woman's nose. "Even though I am quite sure about half the town is aware by now."

"Ah, who cares? We're leaving." Emma giggled softly, nose crinkling up cutely. "Meanwhile, Mary Margaret will remain in the dark forever."

Regina shifted onto her side with a quirk of her brow, fingers now sliding silkily down the blonde's side as if she were tracing the contour of her body. "That woman will find out eventually, even if that means we have to tell her."

"Okay…" Emma huffed softly and pushed herself up. "But I say we wait at least six months to a year after we move, okay?"

"Six months to a year?" The former teacher's eyes bugled as she gave Emma the look that told her the secret must be spilled earlier than that. "Emma Swan, no."

"Okay… okay… Maybe as we're driving away. I mean, come on." Emma giggled softly, earning another headshake this time.

"While I do understand your hesitance, you may not postpone telling her for a long period of time nor may you indirectly reveal our relationship and run off." Regina tsked, cheek pressing against the side of Emma's head. "I am not saying we have to tell her _soon_ , but let's not put it off for too long. Your father already knows about us and I'm quite sure it will be about time that he will tell your mother as well."

"Yeah…" Emma frowned slightly. "I guess it's been… enough time from graduation, right? Or is it too soon to tell her?"

Regina merely shrugged in response to the questions and, instead, shifted away to get herself out of bed. The brunette slid off the mattress with a yawn, arms stretching high in the air before she turned to the blonde still curled up in the middle. "You will be the judge of that, Emma. You know Mary Margaret more than I do."

"Yeah… You're right." The blonde muttered. "I'll just see what David says. He'll know if she's ready."

"And you may do just that when you call him up to come over." Regina's response was from with the closet as she ravaged through the bag of her clothes on the floor for an outfit. "You'll be doing that now, correct?"

"Yeah!" Emma chuckled, struggling for her cellphone to contact their little helpers.

"Oh, and don't forget to ask him about your personal documents. You need those." She called from across the room, head lifted with narrowed eyes on the blonde.

"I know, Gina. I know…"

Emma chuckled softly and made the first dial to her best friends, who no doubt would be pissed that they had to get up this early to do physical labor. When the line picked up, they shared a small banter before Ruby had agreed to drag Belle to the house in about fifteen minutes. The next dial was for Killian who had agreed to help out as an extra pair of "manly" muscles to lift the heavier boxes and furniture. Emma would have laughed if his help were not crucial to get an early start on the day.

The last call was to David, lasting slightly longer than the others as she asked Regina's question. The poor sheriff was actually rather hesitant about coming over after the events that had happened the previous night. He felt too guilty for what he had done and Emma could hear the exhaustion in his voice. She was about to just tell him to stay home when he insisted they need the help and agreed to come over.

Besides, he _did_ have the copies of Emma's important identifying documents. Apparently he and Mary Margaret had requested the information from the agency in which they worked through to foster Emma into their care.

"Oh, well, that's perfect!" Emma smiled against the cellular device, pacing the room in her underwear as she tried to search for the jeans she had laid out the night before. "No wonder why you never panicked about my license. I mean, aside from the natural parent thing."

" _We wanted to be prepared for everything. Anyways, we needed them to enroll you into school_." David chuckled. " _I'll make sure to bring them over. They're yours, after all. You're going to need them more than you did before."_

"Thanks, David." But it had come out as something rather snotty when she noticed the object she thought was her pants were merely a bunched up blanket.

 _"_ _Are you alright?"_ He asked hesitantly.

"No, I can't find my fuck-" Then Regina appeared in front of her with a smile and Emma's pair of jeans in her hand. The brunette's attire consisted of something similar to Emma's own: her own pair of jeans (which had looked remarkably new) that she found hidden away in one of the drawers and a plain, white T-shirt, with her hair tied up in a neat ponytail. "-ing jeans. Thanks. Uh, where the hell were they?"

"Where you left them, sweetheart." Regina chuckled softly, gesturing towards the bureau where Emma had laid out the attire she was going to wear. "They must have gotten knocked down."

"Yeah…"

 _"_ _Did you find your jeans?_ " David's voice rang on the other side of the line, leaving Emma to nod.

"Yeah. Well, Regina did. They fell." She made a face. "Speaking of Regina, wanna talk to her for a second? I gotta get these on."

"Emma…" Regina stared at the phone that was getting shoved into her hands not a second after she said that. The brunette stood there for an awkward moment before pressing it up to her ear, giving a sheepish greeting to the man on the other line.

Emma laughed when the brunette started up an awkward conversation with her foster father, and by Regina's side of it, she gathered they were speaking about the weather. "As them there kids say, you're an awkward little turtle. You may return to your shell." The blonde teased her partner, reaching for the phone with a sweet little smile.

"I wouldn't speak, my dear." Regina crinkled her nose and handed the cell back to its owner.

"Hey, David. Sorry about that." Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette, but for some reason she just stared right back at her. Well, that was worrisome.

 _"_ _It's alright, honey. I'll be over soon, alright? So I'll be letting you go here._ "

"Yeah, of course." The blonde smiled slightly, warily watching the hand that approached her face. "I'll see you later. Okay… Bye-bye." By the time her phone was in her pocket, Regina was in her space with a tender hand on her cheek with a thumb grazing slightly over a nasty looking scar.

"It's better today." She whispered, hand dropping to her side. "I hadn't noticed it earlier, but it is."

Emma's heart rate climbed at this, a frown tugging at her lips. Regina looked so terribly sad and yet guilty, as if she had done it herself. But she hadn't and none of this was faulted towards the brunette. It was Cora's fault. The fault of someone that shouldn't be worried about. Not today.

"Don't worry about it, Regina. It's alright. _I'm_ alright." She attempted to offer a reassuring smile and lifted both hands up to grab the older woman's face. "I will get your mind off it if that is necessary. We have about five minutes until our first batch of recruits show up."

"Emma…" Regina frowned, attempting to shake her head with no success.

The blonde gave her a stern look before leaning up to brush her lips against the soft, tempting ones in front of her. She hummed, pulling Regina's head closer when the latter had returned it with a breathless mewl. Before they could go in for another, Emma paused. "Will that help take your mind off things?"

"Mm… Maybe just one more kiss will do it." Regina grinned and brought a palm to lay flat against Emma's cheek. She went in for another kiss, this time it lasted. The brunette's arm snaked around her blonde lover's waist, reeling her in closer for a deeper, more passionate kiss.

Unfortunately it was short-lived when the doorbell had interrupted them, forcing the two to pull away. Coy smiles and blushing cheeks followed them downstairs to answer the front door without a moment's hesitance. It was a good thing they were stopped before any more were to happen. They would never make it out of Storybrooke.

"Hey, Rubes!" Emma smiled upon opening the door, revealing her lanky friend and the shorter brunette who stood next to her with an excited smile. "Belle!"

"Girl, you got it good." Ruby immediately pushed the blonde aside as she headed into the foyer, eyes wide and impressed when she tried to swallow up everything in just the one room. "How come you never told me you lived in a frickin' mansion?"

"Ruby," Belle tsked, following the waitress inside with an apologetic grin to both her former teacher and blonde friend. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I need to keep her on a damned leash."

"Looks like it." Emma giggled, shutting the door so she could watch the amazed Ruby walk around the packed up house.

"How the hell can you afford this place? Teachers get paid shit." The brunette waitress turned towards the older woman who stood within the small group.

"It's my mother's house." Regina replied with a pained wince. "She purchased it for me."

"That's a really nice mom you have. Man, I wish mine would have bought me a mansion before she up and left." Ruby pouted slightly, disappearing off into the sitting room. "Look at this TV! Holy shit, I could watch some porn on that."

"Ruby!" Belle was after her the other brunette within seconds, her voice sounding as if she were a child reprimanding a small child. Their relationship was humorous at times. Quite better than television itself, or so Emma had thought.

The blonde turned towards her brunette lover with a smirk, head slowly shaking. "This is why I never tell them anything."

"So they can run around my house with amazement?" Regina chuckled softly.

"They aren't used to something this big. I don't know what they were expecting, though, either…" Emma smirked and turned towards the front door, opening it up once again to check for the other two parties that they were waiting on.

"And David _did_ agree to drive the moving truck to Boston, correct?" Regina paced up behind the blonde in front of her, eyes on the large moving van parked in front of the house.

"Yeah. Just so long as we give him a ride back." Emma turned to look at the older woman, giving her a soft smile. "He said he wanted to help us unload it. Ruby and Belle agreed to it, too. They can drive up there, but I'm not sure if they'll stay."

"At least we wouldn't have to by ourselves. I don't mind bringing him back." The brunette sighed, leaning against the doorway. "If Ruby and Belle do wish to stay but do not have the proper funds to keep them out of a crappy motel, I will be more than willing to lend them the spare bedroom."

"Aw, you're too sweet." Emma giggled, turning around to wrap her arms around the former English teacher.

"I was just thinking logically, dear. David is welcome to stay and save his money, as well." She shrugged, eyes separating from the younger woman's gaze as she caught sight of something in front of her. Emma quickly released the brunette to see who the newest arrival was, blushing when she found it to be her foster father.

"Oh, hey, David."

"What is this about me you're talking about?" He quirked a brow, taking a step onto the porch. "I mean, I _did_ hear my name?"

"Yeah, Regina was just telling me that you could stay at the apartment if you wanted to stay overnight in Boston." The blonde elaborated as she followed said brunette inside the house.

"I wouldn't want to impede on anything." David murmured, his eyes not meeting with the brunette's.

"You wouldn't be. There is a spare room... I'll go find Ruby and Belle so we can get started." Regina simply shrugged as she continued to walk, disappearing off into the house to find the girls that self-toured their way through.

"Uh, here's the papers." He frowned at the brunette's response, handing the yellow packet to his daughter. "Is she…"

"No." Emma quirked a brow, grabbing the documents. "She's anxious, is all."

"Anxious, huh?" David narrowed his eyes slightly as he slowly leaned in, inspecting something on the young woman's face.

Emma immediately responded, dodging his curious gaze with the sudden insecurity over the wound on her face. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What is that on your face?" He asked curiously, straightening back up as soon as he had noticed her discomfort.

She shrugged, eyes falling to the ground. "What does it look like?"

"Lipstick." His simple answer had Emma sputtering, eyes wide on the man's face.

"Guess who's here?" A voice rang through the still open front door. Emma was relieved when she saw Killian standing in the doorway to interrupt that awkward moment.

"Hi. Look who's here. Now we can start." Emma was quick to get away from her father and urged her male friend inside with a smile.

"Are you happy to see me, Swan?" The younger man smirked vainly, standing stark in the middle of the foyer. "So eager to get me inside."

"No. Shut up." The blonde hissed at him, immediately regretting her excitement at the opportunity to get away from the previous subject with David.

But Killian still smirked at Emma, though his brows soon furrowed upon looking at her face. "What on earth happened to you, Swan?"

"Nothing!" She turned away, forearm immediately coming up to wipe away the remains of Regina's lipstick from her lips. This earned a shared look between the brunet man and her father, exchanging their confusion.

"Alright, are you boys ready?" Ruby marched into the room as if she owned the place, head held high while Belle simply walked beside her with Regina trailing behind.

"I found them," the brunette stated as she came into the room.

Emma smiled when she caught sight of the older woman and puppy-trailed over to her, a look similar to her trot. "Hi."

"Hello, sweetheart." Regina returned the grin, something familiarly sweet, and moved to gather the younger woman into her arms. "Now, do not fret. I will compensate your work with lunch and beverages. You're welcome to the fridge whenever you wish."

"Yeah! We have sandwich stuff in there, some sodas and waters, and I made her pick up some pistachio salad." Emma beamed, leaning into the brunette.

"And I saw pie in there. Are we getting pie? Can we have pie, please?" Ruby gave her a wolfish grin, hands clasping together. " _Please_?"

"Of course, Ruby. And I also have fresh apples that you may help yourselves to." The brunette woman released her young lover and moved towards the front door. "I'll get the truck open if you would like to start grabbing things, preferably furniture."

"Aye aye, captain." Killian saluted her before taking a step towards the sitting room where he saw bits of the furniture left. "You heard the lady, let's get our asses moving."

"Who died and made you boss?" Ruby scoffed behind him as she and Belle followed.

"What do you want me to grab?" David paused in the foyer, looking to his daughter for a moment. "Because I have no clue…"

"We're only bringing some of the furniture. That's what I know. She wants the stuff from the living room. Eh… The table, too, I think." Emma shrugged and headed off in the direction her three friends had left in. They'd figure out what the hell they were bringing eventually. The queen was currently out, but they would meanwhile follow the orders they were given and hopefully not screw it up.

Luckily, they hadn't throughout the day, bringing furniture and boxes out to pile into the large moving truck. Each cycled to take turns to organize the back of the truck, which ultimately gave them a break of sorts. By lunch, the group had over half the downstairs level cleared of its boxes. They rejoiced in taking a well-deserved break and feasted on the various (junk) foods that had been purchased the night before.

When the exceeded break hour was over, they went back to work and finished moving out the rest of the first level's items. Then started on the second with great haste to get the house finished. It hadn't taken nearly as long as the first, for only a few pieces of furniture and minimal boxes were taken down to the truck.

Regina had thought it a smarter idea the previous week to move most of the boxes downstairs to make it less hard on everyone. And it really did make it easier, and far faster because they were done with the house by the late afternoon when the sun burned brightly in the sky.

Rejoice they did when the last box was stacked in the truck and the door was locked shut. The day had turned hot and dreary, leaving them often times pausing inside to cool off. As they did now, all collapsed on the living room floor trying their damnedest to cool down.

"I am _melting!_ " Ruby dramatized, first to speak out of the six.

"I _know_." Emma concurred, rolling onto her stomach. She removed her shirt at some point to cool off, stripping down to the tank top that she had worn under it for that purpose. "If I melt away, somebody please catch me."

"I will!"

"Shut up, Killian." Ruby huffed, kicking the man beside her. "Leave her alone or Regina will stick one of her heels up your ass."

"And I just might." The brunette woman in subject piped up. She leaned against the wall with a miserable expression on her sweat-glistened face.

"No you can't." Killian had to speak up, smirking over to the older woman. "Your shoes are packed in that truck."

"Oh, damn you."

"Why did we do this?" Belle whined from her spot, adding her two cents in. "It the hottest day of the year and we moved boxes. I feel like my brain melted. All I will see is brown for the rest of my life. If we move, Ruby, we move in the winter."

"What the hell are you blabbering on about?" Ruby chuckled, wiggling closer to the brunette splayed face-first on the ground.

Regina chuckled softly, hands on her lap. "Oh, we aren't moving in the summer again, Emma. Never."

"I concur." Emma struggled on the ground, attempting to worm her way out of the jeans she wore. If only she could get those off, she would be much cooler.

"Emma, do keep your pants on, please." The older brunette watched her, giggling at the struggling teen.

"Oh, since when do you want me to do that?"

"Since we have company."

" _Okay_ ," David coughed from his spot in the doorway. He was the only one that appeared to be unaffected by the heat the other five exhibited. His arms were crossed, his expression ready as if he were waiting to go somewhere. "If you want to be in Boston before dark, we must be on our way about… Oh, now?"

"Really?" Emma furrowed her brows before popping onto her hands and knees to stand. "Crap… What time is it?"

"I want to say it's close to four, but don't count on my word." He answered, arms dropping to his sides as the group protested in a collect groan while getting up from their spots. "Don't worry. You'll still be able to rest. Just not here."

"Yeah…" Ruby huffed. "I feel like a noodle. I don't want to do anymore."

"You won't have to until tomorrow." Emma smiled, heading towards Regina to collect the shirt she picked up. "I mean, if you're going to help still?"

"Yeah, probably. We'll hit the road up with you. But I _definitely_ want to change first." The lanky waitress smiled, looking down at her current attire of her white tank and red shorts. "I'm sweaty in all the wrong places. Maybe I'll shower…"

"Lucky. I wanna shower." Emma playfully puffed out her lip at her friend before hugging the brunette with a sigh. "Thank you for your help, though. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. If it's to get you the hell out of this small town." She teased, kissing the blonde's cheek before moving so the shorter brunette could get a hug from their blonde friend as well.

Belle smiled softly when she pulled from Emma, a sad look on her face. "I'll miss you when you're gone."

"You're coming with us."

"I know, but…" She shrugged, that smile slowly dissolving. "We won't be five minutes away from each other after that. It'll be more like five hours."

The blonde frowned, reaching up to tuck a piece of her friend's hair behind an ear. "We'll still be able to talk to each other. And see each other. You two can come down whenever you want and visit. I'll come see you, too! Gotta pick up my Bug at some point, you know?"

"Good," Belle smiled widely as she back away, much happier than she had been before. "Well, we oughta get going if we want showers before you leave."

"See you in a few, okay?" With a nod, the two left and Emma turned towards the last of her friends.

Killian stood with an awkward smile. "I guess I won't be able to help you since I can't get my ass there and back."

The blonde shrugged, offering him a friendly smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. Will you still be here when I come back to get my car?"

"Depends when that is." He chuckled, looking between David and Regina.

"Soon, I hope."

"I might be. I'm not sure, though. I'm heading to New York to move into the dorms towards the middle of the month." The brunet bit his lip, a frown suddenly creasing them. "Think you'll be able to visit by then?"

"What about you? How do you plan on getting places?" The blonde quirked a brow, but he merely shrugged.

"I'll figure it out."

"I hope so. Text me later, will you?" Emma smiled softly, holding her arms out for a hug. He look baffled at the offer, but hadn't hesitated to accept it for he wrapped his arms tightly around her in a tight hug.

"I will." Releasing her, Killian took a step back. "I already miss you, Swan, goddammit. I don't want to piss these two off any more than I already am, though. Stalling is my thing, but I never seem to win that game."

"You better get your ass out of here before you get a heel up your ass." Emma joked, nudging his arm with her own. "But, seriously. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime," he nodded towards her before heading off to the foyer without another word.

The blonde sighed, looking between her foster father and Regina, ending on the latter. "Think we should quickly change?"

"I see no point to. We should wait until we reach Boston and shower at the apartment, unless you wish to lodge at a hotel for the night? It will be rather dark by the time we get settled into the apartment and we'll have nothing to sleep on." The brunette joined the two by the doorway, the question lingering in her eyes.

"I don't mind sleeping on a floor, but I don't want you to get too uncomfortable." Emma frowned, a hand floating to the older woman's lower back. "And what about everyone else?"

"I hadn't thought of that for some reason…" Regina rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. "Perhaps we should swing by the store and grab a few comforters and pillows for the night."

"How about a B.Y.O.B.?" David quirked a brow, embedding himself into the conversation at hand to add his two cents. "Bring Your Own Blanket? And pillow."

"We could do that." Regina murmured, lifting her gaze to the third party. "Alright. Are you able to message your friends that? And, David, you could always run home to grab your items?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"One problem."

Emma and David responded, respectively.

It was David that had elaborated his problem when Regina gave him a horrified look. "I walked."

"Can't he drive the truck there, then?" Emma quirked a brow. "You can, right? Then we can just have Ruby and Belle meet us at the apartment."

The two of them nodded in concurrence to the blonde's suggestion, leading them to the conclusion that they should leave and do just that. David was out of the house first, leaving Regina and Emma behind to soak up their home one last time.

"I'll miss this house, surprising enough. I never thought I would." Regina spoke first, her voice cracking slightly. "It was never a home to me until you came along."

Emma smiled sadly, a watery one that couldn't last as she leaned into the brunette next to her. The older woman wrapped a tight arm around her lover's waist, sniffling softly.

"We will always have this house." The blonde looked up to Regina, a frown quickly appearing on her face.

"I know. I'm not selling it." She simply stated, rubbing the younger woman's side. Emma leaned her head in to rest against Regina's while she stared fondly at the house she had become so accustomed to. It was her home as well, and for some reason, she was glad that Regina wasn't going to sell it. She legally owned the house now, so she was able to do whatever she wished.

But she wasn't selling it and that meant the world to Emma.

"Do you think we would ever come back?"

"Perhaps," Regina whispered. "If we wish to expand…" but she didn't complete her thought, letting it drift off into the humid air.

"What are you saying?" Emma blinked, turning to look at the brunette who immediately averted her gaze. She gave a coy smile, shaking her head.

"Nothing but mere fantasies."

"What are they?" The blonde released Regina from their side-embrace and stood in front of her, instead, reaching for the hands that hung absently at her sides.

"When we talked of children, it got me into a state of imagination. Such as us…" she laughed for a moment, nothing of humor, but more self-loathing. "If we were to get married, at some point in our lives. If you would ever wish to stay with me long enough for that to happen. And perhaps make a family and expand it."

"Oh…" Emma nodded slightly, squeezing the brunette's hands when she closed her eyes and shook her head quickly. "Hey… Hey, I would _love_ to stay with you, Regina. I could never imagine myself anywhere else, okay?"

"You're young, Emma. You have your life ahead of you, and once you see that and notice that I'm just an older woman weighing you down…"

"Regina Mills, I would marry you today, I would marry you tomorrow, and I would even marry you in fifty fucking years. Remember that." Emma brought the tawny hands up to her face and pressed soft kisses to the knuckles.

"You would..." Regina swallowed, heart thumping rapidly against her chest. "Marry me?"

"Of course!" The blonde grinned, leaning forward to press a sweet kiss to the older woman's lips. She was immediately gripped by strong arms that brought her closer for the shared moment, teeth nibbling on her lips and a hand squeezing her ass.

" _What_." The masculine voice broke the two of them apart, each hopping to opposite sides of the foyer with eyes as wide as saucers and cheeks as red as blood.

"What, what? I thought you were going away?" Emma stared at her foster father, heart lost somewhere in her throat.

"Did I just hear you two get engaged?" He looked just as bewildered and mortified as the two. No doubt he saw the way Regina had groped her like no tomorrow.

"What? No!"

"I believe you walked in at the wrong time." Regina cleared her throat and smoothed down her already pristine shirt. "We were merely having a discussion about marriage and Emma had-"

"I said that I would marry her because she didn't believe me. But we aren't, so don't you worry." The blonde shrugged, casting a sideways glance to the older woman who had a spark of sorrow in her eyes as if those words struck something deep. But she was great when it came to throwing on her usual mask with a forced smile.

"I mean… we aren't, right? Or… are we?"

"Wh- What?" Regina blinked at the question, her entire face had resembled that of a fire truck. "We… don't…."

"People can get engaged and don't have to be married right away." Emma shrugged, smiling softly. Wait a moment. What was she talking about? They were talking about _marriage_? Did she really volunteer to be engaged to Regina? It wasn't exactly a _bad_ thing. And she _did_ make a point. It wasn't like anything would necessarily change, right?

"Oh, honey, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. We can wait for the right time." Regina cooed, making her way towards the blonde. "It honestly means the world that you would consider marrying me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Emma tilted her head. "It would be an honor to call you my wife."

"Emma…" The blonde was engulfed in Regina's arms faster than she could ever make a single peep. It wasn't a problem, though. She enjoyed it. The smell of fresh linen and the faint scent of sweet apples clung to the sweaty T-shirt. This was one warmth she had no problem with.

" _Okay_ , I don't know what I walked into…" David murmured before beside the two of them, reminding Emma that he was waiting on them. "But we should be hitting the road. I've still gotta pick my blanket up."

"Of course." Regina pulled from the blonde, grabbing her hand as she headed towards the door without a second look back at the house she was leaving behind. The three of them were back out into the hot, late afternoon sun for the last time that day.

Emma broke away from Regina to follow David to the driver's side of the moving truck, the question she had never got to ask burning hotly on her tongue. "Hey, David?"

"Yeah," he turned to look at the blonde, a frown creasing his face.

"Can I ask you a crazy question?"

"Yes, I give you the blessing to marry whoever you want." He joked, but Emma merely rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't care for you permission. I'd marry her even if you disapproved. But that's beside the point," she coughed, arms crossing over her chest and eyes falling to the ground. "What about Mary Margaret?"

"What about Mary Margaret?"

"When should I tell her?" Emma lifted her gaze, lower lip disappearing into her mouth.

"Oh…" He sucked in a deep breath and whistled it out, a hand scratching the back of his head. "I don't know, Emma."

"Think we should tell her before we leave? She'll be alone to for at least twenty-four hours to vent?" It was an offer, a silly one not meant to be taken seriously but David actually contemplated it.

"How would you tell her?"

"I don't know. That's the thing." Emma bit her lip, looking away. "See, I just wanted to do something to Regina and have her see so we didn't have to tell her, but Gina wants to flat out tell her."

"… Maybe it's not best to tell her just yet." David shook his head and turned to open the door to the truck.

"Yeah…" Emma giggled softly. "Well, I'll let you go off to do your thing. We're going to follow."

"See you on the other side." He nodded with a smile. "Love you, Emma."

"Love you, too." The blonde returned the smile before nodding as well and headed off to the Benz where Regina await for her.

"What was that about?" The brunette flashed her girlfriend a playful smile.

"I was asking when he think would be the best time to tell Mary Margaret. Obviously not now." She chuckled her response and clicked on her seat belt as Regina shifted the gear to pull out of the driveway.

"I assumed just that." Regina took off down the street still wearing that smile on her face, though it had transformed into something wider. "We're leaving this town, Emma. We're actually moving."

"I know." Emma bit her lip to contain the squeal bubbling in her throat. "I never thought that when I moved into the Nolan's this would be happening. That I would run away to Boston with my high school English teacher."

That had earned a laugh from said teacher, the older woman shaking her head in response. "I had never imagined that I would fall in love with one of my high school students. It sounds wrong and _is_ wrong, but I simply cannot help it."

"I'm sorry. I just have that effect on people." Emma gave her a saucy little smirk, earning a playful dirty look in return.

"Emma." Regina clucked, pulling onto the street the Nolan's apartment was located. She parked across the street, leaving the space in front for David to nab with the truck.

"I know, Regina. Everything that happened to us… all of it. It's strange, but…" She shrugged, smiling softly. "I wouldn't have it any other way if it meant I couldn't be right here in this moment with you."

The brunette grinned as wide as she could manage and reached for the back of Emma's head, urging her closer. Silently, the blonde had obeyed and leaned in as commanded for her lips to be seized by Regina's in a passionate kiss that rekindled the one they had lost in the foyer. The blonde gasped softly, planting a hand on Regina's thigh as she attempted to get closer and deepened the kiss into something fiercer.

The groan that had left Regina's lips was swallowed up by Emma's greedy mouth as if moved over the older woman's sweet ones. Olive fingers tugged at the blonde strands they were tangled in, forcing Emma's head to a position that allowed better access. Her little pink tongue slid across the thin, pink lips in a taunting gesture, the corners of her own mouth tugging into a smirk when this had earned a soft moan. The younger woman pressed closer, lips coming down upon the plumped ones; her hands finding purchase on the older woman's body, grabbing whatever she could to find ground.

"Emma," Regina murmured, placing a sloppy kiss to the corner of her mouth and continued forth, making her way down the ivory skin of her jaw.

The blonde panted into the hot air, her breath growing ragged the more Regina made her way across the palette of skin displayed before her. Emma's fingers dug painfully into the older woman's hip at the sensation patterned on her neck with that sweet mouth, tenderly nipping and sucking.

"Gina…" Emma gasped her nickname for the brunette. She shifted from Regina's delicate teases to seek out her lips and soon found them with a hand keeping steady on her cheek.

"Wait…" The brunette pulled away far too soon, lips parted as she tried to regain her lost breath. "Do you think it's wise to be doing this out in the open?"

"Probably not." The blonde's cheeks heated to a perfect apple red as she had noticed exactly where they were. Poking her head up to peek outside, she had noticed the moving truck to be parked outside the apartment, empty.

Had David seen them?

"Wow…" Emma chuckled after a moment's silence, sitting back in her seat. "I can't believe we did that."

The older woman seemed to be mortified, yet the look of desire in her eyes had never died. "We would have completed that fantasy of yours if not for being in the middle of everyone's viewing pleasure."

"No shit." The blonde chuckled, looking back towards the apartment.

"We are going to be screwed tonight."

"What do you mean?" Emma picked slide her phone out of her pocket, intent on messaging David how long he was going to be.

"If you wished to fool around tonight, it would be impossible with a houseful of people." The brunette simply stated.

"Not really." Emma shrugged. "We would have to be quiet, yeah. But we can still do it. It'll be risky, but wouldn't that be the most fun?"

"… I do suppose you are correct." Regina grinned, biting her lip at the thought.

"Dammit, what the hell, David?" The blonde opened up a message from her foster father that had been sent minutes before she could have messaged him. That was one of several that had Emma nervous.

"What is it, dear?" Regina leaned over to take a look at the message displayed on the screen. "Oh, _great_."

"I suppose that's one less problem to worry about." Emma chuckled humorously, reading over the messages on the screen.

**_Mary Margaret now knows. She saw you through the window in the loft. Next time, please refrain from making out with Regina in front of her. She's having a meltdown over what she saw._ **

**_At least I won't be here for the rest of it._ **

**_And neither will you._ **

**_Oh, and, one last thing:_ **

**_I'll be out there in five._ **


End file.
